A Battle To Remember
by LaZy-RaIn-DaNcEr
Summary: Haley Storm knew things would be somewhat strange after moving to a new country, but she didn't plan on getting involved in a battle full of weird kids with powers all because a lazy guy saved her on the street. Good thing she likes excitement.
1. A Friendship is Formed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell but I do own all the characters in this chapter. : )**

**Hope everyone enjoys the first chapter of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**

* * *

On a road not too far from Nakura High, a girl can be seen walking away from the school. She has long red hair kept in a high ponytail, bright hazel eyes, and very light skin. The girl also appears to be in good shape with her slim figure and well-endowed chest. The student is wearing the typical Nakura High uniform- a white short sleeved buttoned up shirt, a knee-length dark green skirt, and black dress shoes. The only difference between this girl's uniform and the uniforms of the other girls was the fact that she was wearing a pair of black shorts underneath the skirt though they could barely be seen because of the skirt's length.

Haley sighed as she began to walk back to her apartment. It was just another long boring day of school for the foreign exchange student. She thought it would be exciting to spend the last two years of high school in another country like Japan, but it turned out no matter what country you're in, school is always boring.

"_Well at least I already finished my homework." _The redhead thought. Most of the time Haley would remain quiet during her walks considering there wasn't much to the scenery of the isolated road she always took. "Man I wish something interesting would happen." She hadn't even realized she said her thought out loud until she heard chuckling behind her.

When she turned around, the girl grimaced after she realized who it was. "What do you guys want?" Haley asked though she really didn't care. This was the last thing the redhead wanted to deal with at the moment.

The group of guys behind her all wore mock-hurt expressions at her cold words. "That hurts, Red. And we came out of our way to see you. It's been too long don't ya think?" The guy-obviously the leader- in the center of the group remarked. He was a tall man around 6ft with a pretty muscular build. The leader had short brown hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in days along with dark blue eyes that at the moment looked very amused at the girl's annoyance. The group shared a large grin at their leader's question.

Haley studied the guys in front of her. If she hadn't already met them, she would've been able to figure out the boys were gangsters by the looks of their clothes. They wore the typical style of baggy clothes, chains, and piercings along with their gang tattoos. Each had the tattoo of a white wolf head surrounded by blue flames on their bodies. If the girl recalled correctly, the gang was called the Wild Wolves or something like that. Haley was never one for details about things that didn't interest her.

The girl shook her head. "Not long enough apparently. So what do ya guys want with me? Another beating?" The guys stopped smiling at her comment and began to pull out different weapons. The leader known as Vic sneered, "Actually we've come to teach you a little lesson, Red. You need to learn how to show respect to your elders."

She laughed, "I give respect to those who deserve it, and you guys definitely don't deserve it." Haley quickly got into a fighting stance similar to what those who practice karate would use. "Bring it on. I could use a good work out though I doubt you'd give me that much."

Vic glared at the redhead and shouted, "Get her!" At their leader's command, the group of armed men charged at the unarmed high school student. Haley sighed, "Typical, guys always have to show off their toys."

The closest guy to her attempted to punch her in the stomach, but the girl quickly stopped his assault and twisted his arm making the man cry out in pain. "What a wuss." She finished him off by kicking him in the head to knock him unconscious.

The next guy tried to stab her from behind with a short knife. Haley responded by crouching low and used her right leg to kick him in the face when he missed her. While still on the ground, the student swung her leg around to knock the men surrounding her off their feet.

She got up and dusted off her clothes. The redhead noticed the remaining three guys hadn't moved after she knocked the last four off their feet. They seemed to be wary to get near her, with good reason. Haley smirked,"Well? Don't tell me you're already done. Are you afraid of a little girl?"

"Not quite." Vic said from behind her.

The girl stiffened. She quickly turned around but before she could attack a round of electricity surged throughout her body. As Haley fell to the ground, she noticed Vic was carrying an electric taser in his hand. The redhead gritted her teeth as she tried to control her body's involuntary twitching. "Y-you bastard."

Vic chuckled as he signaled his men to grab her. "Now now Red that's not proper language for a lady. Though I do like my women feisty."

Haley gave the man a disgusted look. "I would never go out with a creep like you even if you were the last man on the planet."

The gang leader walked over to the girl and grabbed her chin. "Never say never, Red. If you behave properly, I promise to be gentle." He gave her a feral grin. "Or I'll try to anyway."

Her response was spitting at his face. "How's that for behaving properly?"

Vic retaliated by slapping her across the face. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!" He pulled out a knife. "Looks like we'll be having a change of plans boys."

The redhead glared at gang leader though internally she was feeling nervous as she gazed at the blade in front of her. _"I will not be intimidated by the likes of him."_

The brown haired man smirked. "Looks like it's the end for you, Red. This is what you get for disrespecting the White Wolves."

"_The White wolves so that's what their name was. I knew there was two W's in the name." _She thought to herself. "Yeah yeah whatever. If you guys didn't attack me all the time, then I wouldn't have to always kick your asses. It's not my fault that I have to go through your territory to get home."

Vic continued to smirk. "Well now we can solve that problem." He thrusted the knife at the girl aiming for her chest. "Say bye-bye, Red!"

Haley closed her eyes and readied herself for the pain that was soon to come. _"When I said I wanted something interesting to happen, I didn't mean this!" _She smirked despite herself. _"Me and my big mouth."_

After a few minutes had passed and she still hadn't felt the pain, the redhead opened her eyes. They widened when she saw the spectacle before her. To the right of Vic there was a guy, looking around 17 years old like Haley herself, holding Vic's right hand preventing him from stabbing Haley.

The teen gave the gang leader a bored stare. "All of your shouting woke me up from my nap. How about you guys scram so I can get some sleep."

"_Is this guy serious?" _Haley stared at the stranger trying to figure out if he was fooling around or not. When she saw his eyes, the redhead could tell he wasn't joking. _"What's with this guy?" _He looked like a normal teenager with his short spiky black hair, sapphire blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin. The teen wore a light blue undershirt, a black short sleeved jacket, silver sneakers, and dark blue pants that reached to his ankles. He looked like he was around 5'7, only an inch shorter than her.

Unlike Haley, Vic actually voiced his thoughts. "Who the hell are you?" The black haired teen yawned, "What does that matter? Look all I want to do is get some sleep so can you just leave already?"

This comment only infuriated the gang leader even more. "Why you punk! Guys forget the girl for now. Let's take care of this brat first!"

Before Haley could respond, the gang members had already surrounded her savior. "Hey watch out!" She tried to get up to help him, but her body still felt numb from the taser's effects.

The black haired teen simply sighed, "Is this really necessary?" He leaned backwards to dodge one of the punches thrown at him. When he realized they were going to continue to attack him, the stranger continued to move to avoid the attacks thrown at him.

After a while, it appeared that the gang members were worn out from all their attempted attacks that failed to hit the mysterious teen. Finally, the teen began an offensive of his own.

Haley watched in amazement as the black haired teen disappeared from everyone's view and quickly appeared behind each gang member. In a swift movement, he hit each of them on the back of the head rendering them all unconscious.

He began to stretch his arms as he yawned. "That's why I asked them to leave. If they had just left, I could've gone back to sleep without having to hurt them."

The redhead chuckled when she heard his comment. She stopped laughing when she noticed Vic silently approach the teen to attack him from behind like he did to her earlier.

Despite the numbness, the redhead pushed her body to stand and ran towards the men intending on helping the teen that had saved her. "Hey look out!" Before Vic could act, Haley punched him right in the jaw knocking the gang leader down to the ground.

The girl grinned when she saw Vic's body sprawled on the pavement. "Ha! Serves ya right!" She turned to black haired teen beside her. "Are you alright? You really saved me back there. I owe ya one."

He shrugged. "Not really you're the one who helped me"

Haley shook her head and smiled, "Nah that wasn't much if it wasn't for you I would've been a goner. Thank you."

The boy smirked, "You're welcome. I guess it's my turn to thank you for helping me."

She continued to smile. "You're welcome. So what's your name? I'm Haley."

"My name's Kai. Do you usually go around introducing yourself to strangers?" he asked keeping the smirk on his face.

The redhead laughed, "Well you're not a stranger anymore are you? To answer your question, no so you should feel honored. Not even those punks you just saved me from knew my name. They just called me Red."

Kai quirked an eyebrow at her. "So why were these guys trying to kill you in the middle of the street?"

Haley shrugged, "Beats me. They always come to mess with me claiming I'm in their territory like I really care. This is the fastest way to get to my apartment. I'm not taking a longer route just to make those losers happy. They were just upset that all the other times they confronted me I kicked their asses."

The black haired teen chuckled, "I see. That makes sense. You must've really hurt their pride. So why was this time different from the others?"

The redhead frowned, "I didn't expect them to have a taser. After the first two times I beat them, they began to use weapons, so I wasn't surprised by that. I guess the bastard just caught me off guard."

Kai was about to comment when a bright light began shining from his dark blue backpack he had left by the wall of a nearby building. Haley gave him a curious glance as he ran over to the backpack.

To her surprise, Kai pulled out a silver book with weird writing all over the cover. It reminded the girl of ancient hieroglyphics she had seen in her history book. The book continued to shine even after Kai picked it up.

"No way." Kai mumbled with an astonished look on his face. It surprised the redhead seeing such an expression on the black haired teen's face. The whole time since meeting him Kai had kept a bored look on his face even when he was fighting the punks from before.

She focused her attention back on the book. "What's with the weird book? I've never seen a book glow like that before." The girl thought it might be radioactive but quickly dismissed the notion. _"I've been watching too much TV." _

Kai studied the girl's face then shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." He tried to walk away, but Haley grabbed his arm.

"Try me." When he noticed the serious look on the girl's face, Kai knew there was no way to avoid telling her about the book.

The black haired teen sighed, "Alright but it's a long story. I don't really feel like having story time in the middle of a street."

Haley smirked, "Fine you can come to my apartment and tell me. Since you saved my life and all, I should at least give you a free meal."

Kai gave her a weird look. "You just met me and you're inviting me to your apartment? You really are a strange girl."

She hit him on the arm as they began to walk toward her apartment. "Shut up. You should be grateful I'm offering you a free meal. Besides, I can take care of myself. If you try anything funny, I'll beat you up."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Uh huh whatever."

* * *

While they were waiting on the food Haley had cooking in the kitchen, the two were sitting on the couch watching TV. The red head glanced over at her guest who appeared to be half-asleep. "Alright spill. What's up with the weird book?"

Kai shifted his gaze from the TV to the girl beside him. "Ok I'll tell you. But don't say I didn't warn you." When he saw her nod, he began his story. "I guess the best way to start is by telling you I'm not human. I'm a mamodo. In other words, you could call me a demon child from another world."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him, but before she could comment the teen had raised his hand. "I told you that you wouldn't believe me. Let me finish before you start calling me crazy."

When he realized she wasn't going to interrupt him, Kai continued his story. "Well anyway in the mamodo world we have a battle every one thousand years. In this battle, one hundred mamodo children are sent to Earth to fight to become the king of the mamodo world."

The black haired teen was surprised when Haley asked, "Why were you sent to Earth?"

It was Kai's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Wait you actually believe my story?"

She shrugged, "Why not? You don't seem like the type to lie. Besides, "she grinned, "I don't think you have the imagination to come up with something this bizarre."

Ignoring the insult, the teen decided to answer the question. "We're sent to Earth to find our human partners. You see each mamodo child has a book, and only one particular human can read each book. The books are like our source of power I guess you could say. We need human partners to read spells from our books in order for us to use our powers. And if our books get burned, we get sent back to the mamodo world."

Haley's eyes began to shine. "You have powers? Awesome! Wait since your book was glowing earlier does that mean I'm your partner?"

He nodded, "Yeah I think so. That's the only reason I can think of to explain why it was shining like that."

The redhead grinned, "Cool! Let me see the book. I wanna try reading a spell to see what kind of powers you have."

Kai shook his head. "You don't realize the seriousness of the situation. These battles are going to be incredibly dangerous. That was why I didn't want to tell you about the book. Just because you're my book owner doesn't mean you have to join the fight. To be honest, I have no interest in being the mamodo king. The only reason I'm still here is because I haven't run into any other mamodo yet."

The mamodo was shocked when Haley grabbed the book from his grasp and fixed him with a determined look. "Sorry but you won't be able to get rid of me that easily, buddy. If I'm supposed to be your partner to help you fight in this battle, then I'm gonna help. And don't give me that, 'I don't care' speech. I hate when people don't even try and just give up." She smiled, "You helped me, so now I'm gonna help you."

The black haired teen just stared at the girl with a surprised look before chuckling. "You really are a weird girl. Fine if you wanna fight, we'll fight, but don't complain if we lose our first battle."

Haley smirked, "Ha! Like that'll ever happen. We won't be losing anytime soon. I'll definitely make you the mamodo king."

Kai stopped his retort when he saw the determination in his partner's eyes. For the first time since Haley had met the mamodo, the black haired teen smiled-not a smirk, a real smile. "Yeah I'm sure you will, Haley."

* * *

**Alright the first chapter of my first Zatch Bell fic is complete! Sorry if it was too long I just couldn't stop writing lol I hope you all enjoyed it. I'd love to get some reviews and hear your opinions of my first chapter. I hope this wasn't too bad of a first chapter especially since I didn't have a mamodo battle here but I did have some fight scenes so that counts for something right? haha I would love to see some OCs if anyone's interested in sending them to me : )**


	2. The First Battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell : )**

**Yay! I got two reviews and two OCs I consider my first chapter a success X ) I can't wait to use them in this story. Thanks to MamaLita and Iron-Arm-V for the reviews! I appreciate it ^_^ Now here's chapter 2 of A Battle To Remember!**

* * *

Haley stretched as she got out of bed. Her cell phone alarm went off at six-thirty like it did every morning. The redhead hated waking up early-actually she hated mornings period-, but it took over half an hour to get to school from her apartment.

Once she had moved to Japan from America, the girl decided she'd walk to school instead of worrying about taking the subway. Since she didn't play any sports, Haley thought it would be a good way for her to get some exercise every day plus she'd save money.

After she got dressed, the high school student left her room to check on her new "roommate" in the living room. When Haley and Kai had finished discussing the mamodo battle, the redhead noticed how late it was and decided it was time for her to go to bed.

Her apartment was pretty small with only one bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen but considering Haley was the only one living there, it was the perfect size for the girl. Luckily the couch was a pull-out so after retrieving some sheets, pillows, and a blanket for the mamodo she was able to leave him to sleep in the living room.

When the redhead walked into the other room, she found Kai still fast asleep. _"Well it is pretty early I guess I'll try to be quiet so I won't wake him." _She thought as she silently made her way into the kitchen. It was still only 6:50 according to the clock on the microwave, so the girl still had plenty of time before she had to leave. Haley fixed herself a glass of orange juice and began eating the powdered donuts she had bought the other day. _"I'm so glad I bought these. They're so delicious!"_

It only took her ten minutes to finish her breakfast which left the girl unsure of what to do next. She usually would watch some TV or finishing any homework she hadn't done the night before, but she currently had a fast-asleep guest in her living room which happened to be the only room with a TV. _"Maybe if I turn the volume down low enough I won't wake him."_

Deciding it was worth a shot, Haley quietly made her way back into the living room. She quickly found the remote and turned on the TV as she sat down in the recliner. After ten minutes of watching nothing interesting on TV, the redhead thought it was best to wake up Kai to tell him she was about to leave for school.

What she didn't plan on was the fact that the boy slept like a rock. No matter how many times she shook him and yelled at him, the mamodo would not wake up. _"If that's how you want it." _The girl smirked evilly to herself as she crept into the kitchen and returned with a cold glass of water.

"Take this!" Haley poured the water right on the poor sleeping boy's head. His eyes shot open, and he nearly jumped out of the sheets. The high school student was on the floor laughing so hard her face was the same color as her hair.

Kai glared at the girl. "What the hell did you do that for?"

After a few minutes the redhead was finally able to calm herself down enough to speak. She wiped her eyes. "Sorry it was too tempting. I couldn't resist."

The black haired teen sighed, "Girls are such a pain. Why did I have to get stuck with one for this battle? I must be getting punished for ditching the chores my mom always asked me to do."

Haley punched him on the arm. "Shut up. I only did that because you wouldn't wake up. Now because it took so long to wake you up I might be late for school." She headed for the door to put her shoes on and grab her book bag.

The mamodo shook his head. "Whatever so can I go back to sleep now?"

The redhead waved her hand at him. "Yeah sure just thought you might wanna tag along considering there's not much to do here."

Kai stretched as he shifted to the dry part of the bed. "Nope I'll be fine. I have no interest in going to a human school."

The girl shrugged, "Alright if that's what you want. But be sure to come to my school when I'm out ok? I wanna try out that book of yours."

The lazy teen closed his eyes as he lay back down in the bed. "Whatever."

She rolled her eyes as she went out the door. Before she shut the door, Haley shouted, "See ya after school!" After that, the high school student ran off heading to her school hoping she wouldn't be late.

* * *

After finishing her class work, Haley pulled out Kai's book to study as she waited for the remaining minutes of her last class to pass. _"Hmm out of all these weird words I can only read one I wonder why." _She continued to stare at the book, but her mind began to wander. _"I wonder why Kai doesn't wanna be the mamodo king. I bet he's just too lazy and doesn't wanna do any work." _The redhead pondered as she gazed at the book.

_"I don't know why but for some reason I really wanna help make Kai king. If it wasn't for him, I probably still wouldn't be here. He's obviously a good person since he did save me, a total stranger. If I just work on that lazy attitude of his, he'd be a good candidate for king. I won't let him give up. I'll make sure he wins." _Right as she closed the silver book the bell rang signaling the end of school. Haley sighed to herself, "Good timing."

* * *

Once she met up with Kai outside her school (the girl had found him in a sakura tree fast asleep), they both headed to an abandoned construction site near Haley's apartment. Luckily the site was abandoned at the moment so the two didn't have to worry about anyone else seeing them.

Kai scratched his head. "Alright let's get this over with. I wanna go back to sleep."

The redhead sighed, "All you do is sleep, Kai. Man you're lazy." She set her book bag down and pulled out the silver book. "Ok let's do this!" Haley opened the book and read, "The first spell: Kazedron!"

The mamodo raised his hand as a large blast of wind shot out from his palm and hit a nearby tree creating a huge dent in it. He yawned once the attack was over. "There. You happy now? Can we go?"

Kai was surprised when the girl hugged him. She grinned, "Kai that was so cool! I didn't know you could control wind! Who knows what kinds of other awesome spells you'll get!"

He grabbed her to keep himself from falling over. "Give me a warning next time before you jump me. How can you be so excited about a gust of wind?"

Haley pulled back to look at her partner. "Why shouldn't I be excited? It's a cool spell, and it looks strong too. Those other mamodo won't stand a chance against us!"

The lazy teen shook his head though there was a slight curve to his lips. "You really are strange. You shouldn't underestimate the other mamodo. They probably have spells way stronger than this."

"He's right you know." An unfamiliar voice said from above them. Haley and Kai pulled apart as they looked toward the source of the voice. Finally the two were able to locate the source. On a large dirt mound not too far from them was a young boy and an older male.

The boy looked to be around 9 years old with his short stature and young face. He wore a black jumpsuit with purple stripes on the arms and legs, a black helmet, and purple boots. Scruffs of dark purple hair could be seen from inside the helmet that matched the boy's eyes.

The adult with him appeared close to 21 years old and looked to be around 5'11. The man wore a baggy black t-shirt, ripped jeans, and black tennis shoes. He had shaggy blond hair and blue eyes. The blonde seemed to be one of the strong silent types.

Kai moved in front of Haley. "Stay back, Haley. That kid's a mamodo."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

The mysterious boy nodded, "Yep I'm Ren and this is my book owner Marco. And we're here to get rid of you weaklings. I would advise that you surrender now because there's no way you'll be able to defeat us with a weak spell like that."

The redhead gritted her teeth. "Weaklings? You'll regret calling us that, you brat. Come on Kai let's kick his ass!"

The black haired teen sighed though Ren could see a smirk on the other mamodo's face. "Alright if it means I can go to sleep afterwards I'm in."

The girl grinned, "Good now let's go! Kazedron!" Kai lifted his hand and unleashed another wind blast straight at Ren and his partner.

Marco opened the purple book in his hand. "Seitcha!"

Haley and Kai watched in amazement as Ren's body began to stretch. He used his arms to grab his book owner and a nearby tree to pull them out of the path of Kai's spell. Then the boy shot his leg out trying to kick the black haired mamodo but Kai jumped out of the way.

Ren smirked, "Ha! See I told you guys that you wouldn't be able to beat me with a weak spell like that. And I bet that's the only spell you guys have too. My first spell will be plenty enough to finish you off. Marco read the spell!"

The blonde nodded. "Seitcha!" Once again the purple haired boy's body began to stretch except this time it was fully for offense.

"Damn this is not good. Kazedron!" Haley shouted as Kai let loose another wind blast. Of course like the first time Ren was able to dodge the attack.

"Too weak!" The boy yelled as he aimed a punch at Kai. The black haired teen quickly dodged and tried to retaliate with a punch of his own but Ren avoided it.

The young mamodo laughed, "This is too easy!" He swung his leg at the older mamodo who jumped in order to dodge it. "Got you now!" Ren shot his fist at the airborne teen.

"Kazedron!" Kai shot another blast of wind straight at Ren's fist knocking it off balance enough to make it miss hitting him. The black haired teen landed by his partner. He smirked, "Thanks. I needed that."

Haley gave him a thumbs up. "No problem, partner." She looked over at Ren who was shaking his hand trying to get rid of the pain from the cuts caused by the wind. "Ha! Who's got the weak spell now, brat?"

The purple haired boy glared at the girl. "You'll pay for that! Marco read the second spell!" The blond adult sighed at the boy's behavior. "Seiatru!"

Ren smirked as he ran towards them. He began moving his arms in a rapid motion as he punched making it appear as though several fists were coming straight towards Haley and Kai.

Kai quickly grabbed Haley and jumped out of the way. Unfortunately the attack didn't stop there. The young mamodo followed after the pair continuing to attack them with his fists. "You'll never be able to outrun my fists! Face it. You're done for!"

The black haired teen leaped into the air and faced the other mamodo. "Haley read the spell!"

"Kazedron!"

He unleashed another gust of wind at the purple haired mamodo, but the wind did nothing against the barrage of fists. They went through Kai's attack and hit the older teen in the gut sending him and Haley, who was on his back, flying backwards.

Luckily the two fell in a dirt mound which cushioned their fall. The black haired teen slowly got up and looked at his partner. "Are you alright?" She groaned as she sat up. "Yeah I'm fine though I don't wanna do that again."

Kai smirked, "Trust me neither do I." They helped each other up and watched as Ren and his partner approached them.

The boy grinned, "So do you guys wanna give up now? You're lucky I'm feeling a bit generous at the moment. If you hand your book over, I won't hurt your book owner."

The lazy mamodo shook his head. "Sorry but it's not up to me. Unfortunately I've been teamed up with a rather stubborn book owner who says she won't hand my book over to anyone. She wouldn't do it even if I asked."

Haley hit her partner on the head. "Quit complaining. You make it sound like me not giving the book up is a bad thing."

He shrugged, "I told you I had no interest in fighting."

She punched him again before she jumped off the dirt mound. The redhead glared at the mamodo team in front of her. "I don't care what you say or how powerful your spells are. I'm not handing this book over to anyone. Kai will become king of the mamodo world!"

Ren burst out laughing. "Him? That lazy slacker become king? Don't make me laugh! There's no way that weakling cou-" The purple haired boy was cut off by a hard punch to his face that knocked him to the ground. The young mamodo along with his partner watched speechless as Haley pulled her fist back and glared at the boy.

"Don't you ever insult my friend! He's way stronger than you'll ever hope to be." She huffed as she walked back over to Kai. He was just as speechless as the other two. His eyes were wide as he watched his partner walk back over to him. The black haired teen could feel a smile tug at his lips but did nothing to stop it. _"Maybe she's not so bad after all." _

Ren stayed laid on the ground in shock for a few minutes before he leaped back to his feet. "Y-you bitch! You'll pay for that! Marco read the spell!" The blond male nodded as he shouted, "Seitcha!"

The angry boy shot his fist straight at Haley's retreating back, but a hand stopped it from hitting her. The redhead turned around to see Kai in front of her blocking the other mamodo's attack.

The purple haired mamodo's mouth opened in shock. "How the hell did you stop my fist? You couldn't do that before!" He noticed that the older mamodo had his head down so he couldn't see the black haired teen's face. "Well?"

When Kai finally looked up, both Ren and his partner froze. The look in the other mamodo's eyes was murderous. Finally the older teen spoke, "Don't you ever attack my partner. I could care less if you insult me or attack me, but if you harm her, you're as good as dead."

A chill went down the young mamodo's spine though he tried to put up a front. "O-oh r-really? W-well you d-don't scare m-me!"

Haley watched in astonishment the exchange between the two mamodo._ "Wow Kai's really gotten the kid scared. Looks like Kai has a serious side after all." _The girl smiled proud that her partner stuck up for her like she had for him. At that moment, her book began to glow very brightly. With excitement, she opened the book to see a new spell appear.

The redhead grinned widely. "Hey Kai we have a new spell!"

Kai looked back at her surprised before he began grinning as well. "You ready to finish this?"

She nodded, "Of course! I've wanted to get rid of this kid since he first opened his mouth!"

The black haired teen chuckled, "Same here." His eyes became serious again. "Let's do this, Haley."

"Right! The second spell: Chisokumera!"

In a flash Kai had released Ren's hand and disappeared from sight. The young mamodo looked around nervously. "W-where did he go?" At that moment, the other mamodo appeared right in front of Ren and punched him right in the jaw like Haley had done earlier.

He flexed his hand. "I'm right here." Then as quickly as he appeared, the older mamodo vanished. Before the purple haired boy knew what was going on, he was attacked by a barrage of punches that were too fast for him to see or block.

Kai then reappeared in front of the stunned Marco. "Haley! The first spell!"

The high school student nodded, "Right! Kazedron!"

The black haired teen shot another blast of wind at the purple book in the blonde's hand. The man was so shocked by Kai's speed he didn't even attempt to protect the book. As soon as it lit on fire, he ran off abandoning his partner.

Haley clenched her fists. "What a jerk! He ran off and ditched the kid just like that." She then walked over to where Kai stood and the vanishing Ren lay.

The older mamodo shrugged, "Not all humans are as committed to this battle as you are, Haley."

The girl shook her head. "I understand that, but that's still cruel if you ask me."

The purple haired boy punched the ground. "Damn! How could I have lost so easily? How could I lose to such weaklings?"

The redhead bent over and hit the angry mamodo on the head. "Don't go calling the people who beat you weak. That'll only make you appear weaker since you lost to them."

Kai nodded, "She's got a point."

Ren glared at the two. "Shut up! Don't think you'll be able to win this battle so easily. There are mamodo way stronger than me out there." He smirked, "You guys won't stand a chance."

Before Haley could retort, the young mamodo vanished. "Why that brat! Even when he's disappearing, he's annoying!"

The other teen yawned, "Agreed. Now let's get out of here. I'm beat."

She shook her head as they headed back to her apartment. "You're always tired, you lazy jerk."

He shrugged, "Your point?"

The high school student waved at him dismissively. "Forget it. It's not worth it." The two continued to walk in silence until Haley spoke again, "Thanks for saving me back there. Looks like I still owe ya one." She gave him a shy smile.

Kai shook his head. _"You don't owe me anything. You've helped me more than you know." _He grinned at her. "Nah that's what partners are for. Besides I should be thanking you for sticking up for me earlier. I didn't expect you to actually punch the kid."

The redhead smiled sheepishly. "I usually don't hit kids, but he had it coming. He was really annoying." She continued, "Of course I stuck up for you. You're my friend, and I always stick up for my friends. I won't tolerate anyone insulting my friends."

The pair stopped as they reached the door to Haley's apartment. Before the two entered, the girl gave her friend a sidelong glance. "So do you regret agreeing to fight with me for this battle?"

He froze before relaxing and turned to face the redhead. Kai shook his head. "No. Even though it'll be a real pain in the ass, I don't regret my choice." The teen smirked, "Looks like you'll be stuck with me for quite a while."

Haley laughed, "I guess I can live with that."

* * *

**Chapter 2 complete! I hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as you did the first one. Please don't forget to review I'd love to hear what you think of my first battle scene ^-^**


	3. Welcome to the Team

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell!**

**Thanks for the tip stevethemime I had no idea that the Japanese didn't put consonants before r's. I appreciate you letting me know so I'll be able to fix any other mistakes I might make. I don't think I'll change the first spell since I already made the chapter but I'll try to keep from doing that with the other spells. : ) Thank you to Iron-Arm-V and MamaLita for the reviews! And thanks to Windraider for the OCs X )**

**Here's chapter 3 of A Battle To Remember! Hope you guys enjoy it! ^_^**

* * *

After the fourth bell rang, Haley quietly treaded into the school's library to do some homework during her study period. She wasn't the only one there, but it wasn't very crowded. The redhead continued to walk around the library as she looked for a good place to sit down.

_"Maybe I'll sit by the window. There's good lighting over there." _The girl pondered as she headed toward the table by the window that overlooked the schoolyard. The library was on the second floor of the building, so the windows there always had a good view.

When she finally spotted the table she wanted, Haley discovered that the table wasn't empty. There was a boy there appearing to be doing his homework like she had planned to do. He looked to be around 16 years old.

As she got closer the girl noticed that the boy seemed to be having trouble with a particular problem in his work. Haley glanced at the table and realized it was math, her specialty. Deciding she wanted to help, the redhead took a seat in front of him.

He had short black hair and a well-muscled figure. _"Must be a jock."_ She thought to herself. When the boy realized he had company, he slowly raised his head, and his brown eyes met with Haley's hazel ones.

She smiled, "Need some help? I noticed you were having a little trouble with your homework."

The black haired teen shook his head. "Nah I'm fine. I've almost got it figured out. Thanks for the offer."

Haley grinned to herself. _"Ah the stubborn type. Typical boy, he doesn't wanna ask for help. I don't blame him though." _She could tell he was a smart kid because all the other problems on the paper were already completed. He was just having trouble with the last question.

The redhead pulled out her homework and began to work on it. A few minutes passed by in silence as the two teens continued their work before the boy scratched his head and sighed, "I've been working this problem for almost ten minutes! And I still can only get half of it!"

The girl chuckled, "Does that mean you'll accept my help?"

He gave her an inquisitive glance. "How about a hint? I know I can do this. I just need a shove in the right direction."

She nodded, "Alright." Haley gazed at the paper he handed her. "Ah I see where the problem is. My hint is square rooting."

The black haired teen looked at her curiously before his eyes widened. "I get it!" He quickly grabbed the paper and wrote on the paper. In a matter of seconds, the boy had the problem finished. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. I guess I've been in here doing work too long." He grinned, "Thanks for the hint. My name's Derrick Runners."

She returned the grin. "No problem. I'm Haley Storm. Nice to meet ya."

Derrick grabbed both her hands and winked, "Likewise."

Haley blushed slightly before removing her hands from his grasp. His name sounded familiar to her. Where had she heard it? Her eyes widened in realization. "I know that name. You're the captain of the football team and the quarterback right?"

The football player continued to grin. "Yep that's right. You're not only cute. You're smart too. Deadly combination."

She sighed, "And apparently you're a flirt too." The girl laughed despite herself and then another thought came to her. "Wait a minute. Derrick Runners that's an American name right?"

He nodded, "Yeah I moved here when I was little from America. My parents thought I'd get a better education here. But during my last year of middle school, they moved back to America with my little sister. They said they trusted me enough to leave me here, so I decided I stay to finish out high school. What about you? Haley Storm sounds English to me."

The redhead smiled, "That's because it is. I'm from America too. I came at the beginning of the year to spend my last two years of high school here. I was offered a scholarship to come here, and it just sounded too fun to pass up."

Realization dawned Derrick's features. "Now I know where I've heard your name. You're the new transfer student who has the highest grade in the junior class after being here for only two weeks!"

The girl blushed, "I didn't know I was that popular."

The football player smirked, "Even without your good grades, I'm sure you'd still be popular with your pretty face."

She smacked him playfully. "Knock that out, you flirt. It feels weird getting compliments like that."

He looked at her seriously. "You're not used to it?"

Haley shook her head. "Of course not! Boys never flirt with me. They usually stay clear of me."

Derrick cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

The redhead shrugged, "I'm not sure why it is here, but over in America it was because my older brother threatened to kill any boy that got near me."

The black haired teen began looking at his surroundings. "Your brother's not around here is he?"

She chuckled at the apprehensive look on the boy's face. "No, my brother's back in America. My parents sent him to boarding school a while back because he hated moving to different schools."

The football player sighed in relief before giving her a curious look. "What do you mean by moving to different schools?"

Haley's face turned sad . "Because of my parents' jobs, we had to move a lot. I've never been to a school for more than a year. That's another reason why I decided to come here. I wanted to spend the last two years of high school in one place."

Derrick leaned over the table and grabbed her chin. "Well it's a good thing you're here now isn't it?"

The girl's face turn red as she pushed his hand away from her face. "Damn flirt."

The black haired teen smiled when he noticed the sadness in her eyes had vanished. "And proud of it."

Before she could retort, the bell rang signaling the end of her study period. Haley rose from her chair and collected her work. "Well I guess I'll see you around, Derrick."

"Aw no 'Derrick-kun'? I didn't realize we've gotten so close." He winked at the redhead.

The girl punched him in the arm. "Shut up. I've never been a big fan of using honorifics besides we're originally from America anyway. I don't see the harm in calling you by your name. Got a problem with it?"

The football player shook his head. "Not at all. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to without having to worry about stuff like that."

They both headed toward the library's entrance before turning to go their separate ways once they reached the door. Derrick smirked, "See ya later, Haley."

Haley waved as she walked away. "See ya!"

After the final bell rang, Haley found herself walking along the main path surrounded by sakura trees. She quickly discovered Kai in a nearby tree fast asleep.

The girl sighed as she went over to the tree he occupied. "Hey time to wake up!" When she realized he was still asleep, the redhead decided it was time for plan B.

The high school student set her bag on the ground and silently began to climb the tree. Once she reached the branch the black haired mamodo was on, Haley took in a deep breath and shouted, "WAKE UP KAI!"

Kai was so startled by the close proximity of her voice that he fell off the branch. The girl laughed as she jumped down from branch. Luckily for the mamodo, the branch wasn't very high.

The black haired teen scowled, "What the hell was that for? You crazy woman."

She continued to laugh as she offered to help him up. "I'm sorry I couldn't help it. It was the only thing I could think of to wake you up."

He grumbled as he took her hand and pulled himself to stand. "Yeah yeah whatever. Next time try a more reasonable method of waking me."

"I'll try." She giggled as they headed back to her apartment.

On a nearby rooftop, a pair of boys was watching the redhead and her partner head home. The taller of the two scowled, "Come on, let's get them while their guard is down." The smaller boy nodded as they quickly vanished from the rooftop.

After walking for about ten minutes, Haley and Kai had reached the isolated area where they had first met. The girl grinned, "This brings back memories."

The black haired teen scratched his head. "Not exactly very pleasant ones." He froze and held out an arm to prevent Haley from moving forward.

She looked at him curiously. "Kai?"

The mamodo frowned, "There's another mamodo here. Keep your guard up, Haley."

The redhead nodded as she pulled out her book. She tried to locate the mamodo but didn't see anyone in the area. The girl yelled, "Come on out! We know you're there!"

The two watched as a pair of boys jumped down from a nearby rooftop. The taller guy looked to be around 16 years old and close to 5'8 like her. He had short black hair with silver streaks, light grey eyes, and a slim build. The teen wore a dark blue t-shirt, black pants with chains dangling on the sides, and silver sneakers. Overall he would have had a handsome face if it weren't for the permanent scowl which seemed to be aimed at Haley.

The other of the pair looked much younger than the teen. He appeared to be around 10 years old with his small height. The boy had silver hair, icy blue eyes, and very pale skin. He wore a baggy white t-shirt with a purple outline of an eye on it, purple shorts, and white tennis shoes. Unlike his partner, this kid had no expression whatsoever on his face. It remained completely emotionless.

Haley was a little unnerved by the glares sent her way by the younger teen by tried not to show it on her face. "Who are you?"

The black haired teen scowled, "It doesn't matter. I don't have any intention of telling you my name. I'm only here to burn your book and get my revenge. Let's go, Kira." The boy nodded as his partner brought out a grey book and opened it. "Midero!"

Kira raised his hand and gained a white glow as a nearby trash can began to float in the air. With a flick of the boy's wrist, the trash can was sent flying toward Haley and Kai. The black haired mamodo quickly grabbed his partner and leaped out of the way.

The girl's eyes widened as she saw the trash can hit where they were once standing. "Wow it's like telekinesis!"

Kai sighed as he set her down back on her feet. "Instead of gawking at his powers, how about we try to retaliate?"

Haley huffed as she opened the silver book in her hands. "Fine. Kazedron!" The lazy mamodo aimed his hand at the other mamodo as a blast of wind shot straight at the target.

The black haired teen growled, "Miderano!" A large silver dome with a purple outline of an eye surrounded Kira and his book owner blocking the wind attack.

The redhead snapped her fingers. "Damn he's got a defensive spell. Looks like Kazedron won't be much use for a head on attack. Ready for the second spell, Kai?"

He nodded, "Yeah sure. Why not?"

The girl sighed at her partner's lack of enthusiasm. "Whatever. The second spell: Chisokumera!"

A silver glow surrounded Kai's body as he ran toward the other mamodo team. The other teen shouted, "Miderano!"

The silver dome appeared again protecting Kira and his partner from the frontal assault. Haley grinned, "Don't think that'll work a second time!"

The black haired teen raised an eyebrow at the girl before his eyes widened as he saw a crack appear in the silver dome. "What the hell?" He watched as Kai punched the dome in rapid succession until the dome finally broke. "How the hell did he do that?"

She smirked, "Thanks to Chisokumera, Kai's ten times faster than his normal speed. He was able to use that power to increase the strength of his punches as well. Kai may be a slacker, but he's pretty smart."

Before the other book owner could retort, Haley read another spell. "Kazedron!" Another blast of wind was shot aiming for the grey book, but Kira blocked the attack. The human sighed, "Sorry about that Kira. I lost my focus. It won't happen again."

The silver haired mamodo nodded as he got into an offensive position. His partner yelled, "Midero!" This time Kira lifted both his arms causing many trash cans and others random objects on the street to levitate before sending them straight toward Kai who was still close by.

As soon as the spell was read, the lazy mamodo had begun to run trying to get out of the younger mamodo's range. When he realized he couldn't avoid the attack, the black haired mamodo shouted, "Haley! I need a spell!"

The redhead nodded, "Kazedron!" Kai used the wind blast to knock away most of the junk sent flying toward him except for one of the trash cans which knocked him to the ground.

When she saw her partner get hit, the girl quickly ran over to him. "Kai! Are you alright?" She helped him up as he shook his head. "Yeah I'm fine. A mamodo's body is stronger than a human's. I'll be alright."

The owner of the grey book laughed, "Ha! You get what you deserve, punk!"

Haley glared at the younger teen. "What the hell did we do to you? I've never even met you before today."

The other teen returned the glare. "You wanna know? Fine I'll tell you. You ruined my life! Thanks to you the White Wolves are over!" He pointed at Kai. "Because your partner beat up all my friends and left them unconscious on the road, the police were able to get a hold of them. Now my family's gone!"

The redhead felt a slight pang of guilt in her heart, but she immediately dismissed it. The girl continued to glare at him. "You can't blame us for that! It's their fault for always attacking me just because I was in their territory. They had it coming to them!"

He growled, "Shut up! You don't know anything! You should've stayed out of our territory!"

Ignoring the warning look Kai gave her, Haley walked over to the other teen and grabbed him by his shirt. "You shut up! If you actually paid attention to what your so-called family was doing, you wouldn't wanna be involved with them! Those punks harassed me almost every damn day. And you know what? That day that the cops caught them they almost got away with stabbing me. If it wasn't for Kai, they would've killed me!"

The black haired teen appeared stunned at her words before slapping away her hands. "Don't touch me, you stupid woman. I don't care what you say. Why should I believe you?" He took a step back as he opened his grey book. "Miderum!"

Kira's body gave off a silver glow as the surrounding buildings began to shake. Suddenly, bricks began flying from the dilapidated buildings and hovered around the silver haired mamodo. In a matter of seconds, the bricks scattered and flew around the area.

Kai ran towards his partner as he dodged the onslaught of bricks. _"Damn they're faster than before!" _He shouted, "Haley, get down!" Unfortunately, Kira seemed to have difficulty controlling his spell because some of the bricks flew straight toward Haley and his book owner.

Her eyes widened. "Aw hell!" The redhead looked over at the younger teen who appeared shocked that the spell went wrong. She grabbed him and hit the ground. Right before the bricks hit the two, Haley shouted, "Chisokumera!"

The black haired mamodo appeared in front of the two and attacked every brick that neared them with a flurry of punches. Once the last brick was destroyed, Kai lowered his arms and shook his fists. "Damn that hurt."

Kira ran over to check on his book owner. For the first time since he arrived, the boy spoke. "Are you ok, Katsu? I'm sorry I lost control of the spell."

Katsu put a hand to his head and groaned, "I'm fine, Kira. I only hit my head on the ground." He tried to sit up but noticed his body felt heavier. "Huh?" The black haired teen glanced down to see Haley on top of him. His face turned red. "W-what the hell?"

She lifted her head then looked at her partner. "Did you get them all?"

Her partner sighed, "What do you think?"

The redhead slowly got into a sitting position. "No need to be mean. I was just asking." She watched as the other book owner sat up once she got off of him. "Hey you alright? Sorry about pushing you but that was the first thing that came to mind."

Katsu gazed at her dumbfounded. "Why the hell did you save me? I was trying to hurt you and your mamodo!"

The girl shrugged, "I dunno. It just felt like the right thing to do. Just because you wanted to hurt me doesn't mean I wanted to hurt you."

He continued to gape at her before moving his gaze toward the ground. The black haired teen punched the ground. "Damn I failed them. I promised myself that I'd get revenge for my brothers, and instead, I get saved by the enemy. I'm a failure as a White Wolf."

Haley felt bad for the poor boy. To her, it seemed like he only wanted to find a place to belong. She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. The redhead felt him tense before he looked up at her. She smiled, "I don't feel sorry about the White Wolves getting arrested, but I'm sorry that you lost your family. But personally, I think you deserve better. You don't seem like a bad person to me just misguided. I know what it feels like not to have any friends so," Haley grinned when she saw the wonder in the other's eyes, "would you like to be my friend?"

A few minutes passed by in complete silence. Kai and Kira wondered what was going to happen between their book owners. When suddenly Katsu grabbed both of Haley's hands.

The gesture caught the girl by surprise, but she didn't pull away when she saw happiness in his eyes. "I'll follow you anywhere, Anego*!"

The redhead nearly fell over in shock. "Anego?"

The black haired teen nodded his head fiercely. "Yes! You saved me, so now I owe you my life. I'll do whatever you ask me too."

Kai began laughing when he saw the look on his partner's face. "This is too good."

Haley glared him before returning her attention to Katsu. "Ok I guess I can understand that reasoning but anego? You can just call me Haley."

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. You deserve more respect than that."

"_But I'm not a gang member like you!" _She wanted to say her thoughts out loud, but when she saw the earnest look in the younger teen's eyes, the girl decided against it. The redhead sighed, "Alright if it'll make you happy."

Katsu grinned at her as he helped her too her feet. He knelt down in front of his partner. "Sorry Kira but from now on we're gonna pledge allegiance to Anego. I have no interest whatsoever in fighting her."

The silver headed mamodo nodded before walking over to Haley. He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for saving my partner."

She grinned before patting the boy's head startling him with the contact. "No problem. I'm just glad we cleared up this misunderstanding." The girl shifted her gaze to Kira's partner. "Are you sure about this? What about Kira? Doesn't he want to become king?"

Kira answered the question instead. "Yes, but I see nothing wrong with allying ourselves with you for the time being. You did save Katsu's life after all."

Haley sighed, "Like I said anyone would've done it. You don't owe me anything," she smiled, "but we'd be happy to team up with you guys."

Kai scratched his head. "I guess anything's better than fighting. I'd rather not have any more bricks or trash cans thrown at me."

The redhead chuckled, "I agree." She held out her hand toward Katsu. "I guess I should introduce myself now that we're friends. I'm Haley Storm."

Katsu grabbed her hand. "I'm Arashi Katsu."

Haley smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Katsu. Welcome to the team."

* * *

*Anego is another way of saying big sister except it's used for older sister figures in gangs.

Derrick Runners is the awesome creation of Iron-Arm-V. Thanks for the OC! : ) I'll be sure to bring Alice into the picture soon ; )

Hope everyone liked this chapter. Sorry if the ending was lame I wasn't quite sure where to end it. I had Katsu introduce himself in the typical Japanese way so his first name is Katsu. I wasn't sure which way was the best lol Also I apologize if the fight was too short but I didn't want a full out battle. I guess this fight could be like how Zatch met Kanchome haha Please remember to review I love hearing everyone's opinions ^-^


	4. The Silver Haired Girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell!**

**Thanks for the review Iron-Arm-V! I'm so glad you liked how I wrote Derrick. I was worried I wouldn't do him justice. But I'm glad you enjoyed the chaper : )**

**Here's chapter 4 of A Battle To Remember. ^-^**

* * *

Haley ran into her classroom just as the tardy bell rang. _"That was close." _The girl thought as she made her way to her desk. She sat down and pulled out her books from her bag. Once everything was put away, the redhead slouched in her desk. _"It's Kai's fault. He just has to be so damn hard to wake up. I wouldn't have even bothered except we needed to go grocery shopping today. That jerk may be skinny like a stick but he eats more in one sitting than I could in a week!"_

The high school student glanced up and noticed the teacher wasn't at his desk. _"I really am lucky. I probably would've gotten in trouble if Suzuki-sensei was in here. But that's strange, he's never late. I wonder where he is." _She continued to ponder that thought when her teacher walked into the room.

The teacher coughed to get his students' attention. Everyone in the class immediately shut up and sat in their desks. When he realized his classroom was in order, the man made an announcement. "Now students I want you to be on your best behavior today. We have a new student."

Whispers were passed across the room. The students wondered who the new kid could be. No one knew of a kid transferring to their school today. It must have been last minute. Haley's ears perked at the news though she didn't join in the classroom gossip. _"Hmm a new kid I wonder who it is. Hopefully it won't be another person who'll ask me if I dyed my hair." _

Suzuki-sensei clapped his hands to get his students' attention. "Quiet down class. It's time that I introduce our new student. Come on in, Arashi-kun." Everyone in the class quieted down as they watched the addressed boy enter the room.

Haley's jaw dropped. _"Katsu?" _Katsu walked in with the usual scowl on his face. He wore the boy's school uniform consisting of a white short sleeved button up shirt with dark green pants. Unlike the other boys, his shirt was untucked, and he had his silver sneakers from the day the redhead met him on.

The black haired teen scanned the room as if he was looking for someone in particular. Each girl's face he gazed at blushed at his stare. He finally stopped when his eyes found Haley. Katsu grinned, "Anego!" Every eye in the classroom turned to the girl including the teacher's. She blushed and slid down in her seat. _"I'm not here."_

The teacher coughed again. "Well seeing as you know, Storm-san. How about you take the seat next to her, Arashi-kun?" The boy ignored the teacher as he quickly made his way to the desk beside the redhead. After he sat down, Katsu turned to Haley. "I'm glad I was able to find you, Anego. I was worried that the bastards in charge may have put me in a different class than you even though I told them I wanted to be in your class."

The girl sighed as she heard the whispers erupt in the classroom. "Did you hear him?" "Yeah he called her Anego!" "I knew she was in a gang. There's no way her hair color's natural."

They all shut up and began watching the board when they saw the glares sent their way by Katsu. He looked over at his friend. "Do you want me to take care of them, Anego?"

She shook her head but gave the boy a grateful smile. "That's not necessary but thanks anyway. I appreciate the thought." The black haired teen nodded though it was obvious he wasn't pleased with her answer.

After that, the class became silent as Suzuki-sensei taught his lesson about history when the girl realized something. She looked over to her friend who wasn't paying any attention to the teacher. He didn't seem to care at all about the lesson. A thoughtful look crossed her face. _"Hey wait a minute I thought Katsu was younger than me. What's he doing in this class?" _

Haley quickly wrote her question on a note and passed it to her friend when Suzuki-sensei wasn't looking. Katsu blinked then looked at the paper and the redhead curiously. She rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Open it."

The black haired teen quickly nodded and read the message. It appeared that the question amused him because the girl could see a big smile form on his face. After reading the note, he immediately wrote down his answer and attempted to return it to her.

Unfortunately, the action did not go unnoticed. The two teens froze when they heard the tell-tale cough of their teacher. Haley grinned sheepishly and was about to apologize when the bang rang ending the class. "_Saved by the bell! Literally."_

The redhead rose from her desk and gathered her belongings. "See ya tomorrow, Sensei!" With that, she quickly dashed out of the room with Katsu hot on her heels. When they got a safe distance from the class, the girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew that was close. Suzuki-sensei is well-known for giving detention. I've never gotten it before, but I definitely don't wanna try it."

Her friend scowled, "You want me to take care of him, Anego?" Haley's eyes widened. "No! It's fine. Please don't worry about it. I don't want you to get in trouble for something like this." She gave him a small smile. "But thanks for the offer."

He returned the smile. "Oh I forgot. You wanted to know why I'm in your class, right?" When he saw her nod, Katsu smirked, "After our battle, I decided I should go back to school since that's where you are most of the time during the week. It seemed like the best way to help protect you just in case other mamodo decide to attack your school."

The girl sighed, "You didn't have to do that, Katsu. I told you, you don't have to protect me with your life or anything like that. I just wanted to be friends." She raised an eyebrow. "Wait what do you mean 'go back to school'?"

Katsu scratched his head sheepishly. "When I joined the White Wolves, I dropped out of school. The other guys convinced me that school wasn't important that I didn't really need it." The redhead gaped at him, but before she could reply, he continued, "But I know now that it was the wrong thing to do. I was stupid. I shouldn't have listened to them." The boy ducked his head shamefully.

When he felt a hand touch his shoulder, the black haired teen lifted his head and saw a warm smile on his friend's face. Haley shook her head. "It's not your fault, Katsu. You were just unlucky enough to end up with punks like them. They took advantage of you when you were just looking for a place to belong. You're not stupid."

His eyes lit up as a large grin formed on his face. "As expected from Anego! Even for someone like me, you show such kindness. I'm unworthy!" She rolled her eyes as she hit him playfully. "Now what did I tell you about saying stuff like that?"

When she saw the sheepish smile on his face, the redhead laughed, "Now how about you tell me about how you managed to skip a grade. I have a feeling it'll be an interesting story." Katsu shrugged, "All I did was threaten the principal into allowing me to take a test to prove I was capable of skipping a grade. They were reluctant at first but after a little persuasion, they let me take it. I passed the test and they allowed me to join the class. I also made sure that they put me in your class."

Her eyes widened as she gaped at him. "What? You threatened the principal? What did you say? Wait never mind I don't wanna know." She shook her head before giving her friend an impressed look. "Wow Katsu I had a feeling you were smart, but I didn't know that you were that smart. You're amazing."

He blushed and ducked his head. "It's nothing special. I just knew most of the questions on the test that's all. You're the amazing one, Anego. I heard you have the highest grades in the class." The girl smirked, "That may be true for now. But now that you're here, you might just give me a run for my money."

The black haired teen shook his head furiously. "I would never! You're way smarter than me, Anego. I promise I won't give you any trouble." She laughed, "I had a feeling you would say that. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want you to take it easy with your grades because of me, ok? If I continue to have the best grades, I wanna know I got them fairly not because you didn't want to beat me."

Katsu nodded, "I understand, Anego." Haley gave him a small smile and asked, "So what's your next class? I'm sorry. I made you walk with me when you're supposed to head to your next class. I hope I won't make you late." He waved his hand dismissively. "You don't have to apologize, Anego. I was happy to answer your question. Besides-," the boy grinned, "I won't be late I have all the same classes as you. That's another thing I made sure the principal did before I left his office."

She sweatdropped, "I see. So that's what you meant earlier. Well I guess that's good, I would've hated to make you late." The two arrived at their next class as the bell rang. Haley smiled, "Good timing."

* * *

After the final bell rang, Haley silently made her way home. Katsu wanted to accompany her, but he got detention for beating up a classmate because the boy fired a spitball at Haley. She tried to stop him by saying it wasn't a big deal, but the black haired teen wouldn't hear of it. He said, "The bastard deserves to be punished for showing such disrespect to you, Anego!"

The redhead appreciated her friend's efforts, but she didn't want him to get into trouble because of her. At least it was only detention, she would've hated if Katsu got suspended for defending her. The girl sighed as she continued to walk. She had searched the school's premises for Kai, but couldn't find the mamodo anywhere. _"That lazy jerk. I bet he's still at home fast asleep. I told him we needed to go grocery shopping. When I get my hands on him, Kai is so dead."_

Haley was so frustrated that she didn't even notice that she passed her apartment until she finally looked up. She gazed at her surroundings and saw a park full of children to her left. _"Huh? How'd I end up at the park? Man I really must've been out of it. The park's ten minutes away from my apartment."_

The girl scratched her head. _"Well might as well enjoy the scenery."_ She treaded along the path watching the kids play with each other. The sound of laughter caught her attention. When she looked to the side, the high school student saw a group of boys surrounding a little girl.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw the boys hit the girl. Haley quickly ran over to the group of kids. She caught one boy's fist before it made contact. The redhead glared at the boys. "What do you think you're doing picking on her like that? Get out of here now before I bring a new meaning to the phrase "Hit like a girl".

The boys ran away but not before sticking their tongues out at the little girl. As soon as they left, Haley knelt down in front of the girl and asked, "Are you alright?" The kid nodded as she hugged a teddy bear. The girl had silver hair tied into two buns, one on each side of her head. Her eyes had a silver-grey color, and she looked to be around three feet tall. The child wore a brown jacket with bear ears on its hood, a light blue shirt underneath, dark blue pants, and white sandals. She couldn't have been older than seven.

The teen smiled warmly at the girl. "That's good. I don't see any real injuries just some scratches, so you should be alright. I'm Haley. What's your name?" The silver haired girl glanced at her shyly. "A-Alice." She shifted her gaze from Haley to her shoes before looking back at the older girl. "T-thank you for h-helping me."

The redhead patted Alice's head. "You're welcome. Do you know why those boys were picking on you?" Alice began to stare at her feet again before slowly nodding. "Y-yes. They were making fun of me saying that I looked w-weird." The little girl brought her tear-filled gaze back to the teen. "T-they said only old people have silver hair. They called me a f-freak." She put her hood, which must have fallen off during the fight, back over her head to try to hide her face.

Alice's eyes widened when she found herself engulfed in a hug. She quickly rubbed her eyes and held onto the older girl. After a few minutes, Haley leaned back to look at the silver haired girl in the eyes. "You listen to me, Alice. Don't you pay any attention to what those boys say, alright? They're just a bunch of brats. You don't need to take anything they say seriously. Besides-" the redhead pulled the hood down to put her hand on the child's silver hair, "I think you have very pretty hair and an equally pretty face. Those boys are just jerks. They don't know what they're missing."

The silver haired girl blushed as she shifted her feet. "Really?" Haley grinned, "Really. You know what? I had the same problem when I was little. Kids would make fun of my hair too and call me 'carrot top'. Though whenever they did, my older brother would show up and beat them to a pulp."

The child's eyes grew large. "Really? That's what my older brother would do too. Nii-san hated when the kids made fun of me because of my appearance. He said it was like they were making fun of Oka-san because I look just like her. He said I should be proud of how I look." The teen's grin widened. "You don't say. Looks like we have more in common than we thought."

Alice shared the grin. "I wish Derrick-kun was here. I think he would like you, Haley-san." The redhead held up her hands. "Hold on. Now let's get this straight. Even though I'm older than you, you don't have to add –san to the end of my name. It makes me feel old. You can just call me Haley."

When she saw the girl nod, Haley asked, "You just said 'Derrick-kun' right? As in Derrick Runners?" Alice's eyes widened. "You know Derrick-kun?" The high school student chuckled, "Yeah I know him. I met him a few days ago actually. He goes to my school."

Realization crossed the young girl's features. "I remember now. Derrick-kun told me about you. He said you were from America like him." She grinned widely, "He said you were very nice and pretty. I agree."

Haley blushed slightly. "Stupid flirt. I should've known." Alice giggled, "That's Derrick-kun for you. He's very friendly." The teen mumbled, "Maybe too friendly." When she saw the curious look in the girl's eyes, the older teen coughed, "Never mind. So where is Derrick? He didn't leave you here alone did he? If he did, I'm definitely gonna beat him up."

The silver haired girl shook her head quickly. "Please don't be mad ad Derrick-kun. It's not his fault. He told me to stay at home, but I got bored and decided to go on a walk. I got lost along the way and ended up here."

The redhead slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees. "Ok I understand. How far is your home from here? I can walk you home." Alice waved her hands frantically. "No, you don't have to do that. I think I can walk home on my own. I don't want to trouble you."

Haley raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You expect me to let you go home all by yourself? No way. You're way too young to be on your own." When she saw the sad look on the other girl's face, the teen sighed, "Ok how about this? You come to my apartment and call Derrick to pick you up. It's only ten minutes away."

Alice pondered this idea for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "I guess that's alright though I'd hate to cause trouble for Derrick-kun." The high school student waved a hand at her dismissively. "Don't worry too much about that. It's his resposiblity to take care of you, right? It shouldn't be too hard for him to come pick you up."

The two began to walk toward the park's entrance to go to Haley's apartment but stopped when they heard a voice behind them say, "There you are. We've been looking all over for you, Wild Cub."

When the girls turned around, Alice immediately froze when she saw the girl and boy in front of them. Haley's eyes narrowed when she saw her friend's reaction. "Who are you?"

The boy laughed, "That's none of your business, lady." He had spiky blond hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. His figure was clad with a red t-shirt, a black sleeveless vest, black pants, and red sneakers. The blonde appeared to be around 12 years old, standing close to 5ft.

The girl behind him just scoffed at the boy. "You're so uncouth, Kouji." She had long curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and very light skin. The blonde wore a black gothic dress that reached to her ankles along with black slippers. She was also carrying a black parasol. The girl looked to be around 15 years old and stood at 5'4.

Kouji stuck his tongue out at the other blonde. "Shut up, Ana." He shifted his gaze back to Haley and Alice who were trying to get away. "Hey where do you think you two are going? We have unfinished business with you, Wild Cub."

Alice hid part of her body behind Haley's leg. "I-I don't want to fight you. M-my book's not even here, so there's no point." The redhead's eyes widened as she looked down at the girl. "You're a mamodo?"

The silver haired girl lowered her head and nodded, "Yes and Derrick-kun's my book owner. But how do you know about the mamodo battle?" The older girl grinned, "Let's just say we have something else in common."

The blonde mamodo joined in their conversation. "Oh? So you're involved in the battle too? This is too good to be true. Two books in one day, lucky me. Where's your mamodo?"

Haley scowled at the boy as she pushed Alice further behind her. "Like I'll tell you, brat. You heard Alice. She said her book's not here so scram." The other mamodo chuckled and waved his finger at her. "It's not that simple. For all I know, the kid could be lying, and you could be her book owner. But even if she is telling the truth, I'm not just gonna let her go. If we keep her, her partner is bound to show up to look for her."

Alice moved from behind her friend's legs to in front of her. "You leave Derrick-kun alone! I won't let you hurt him." Haley smiled at the girl's courage. Kouji continued to laugh. "And what are you gonna do about it, Wild Cub? Throw your teddy bear at me? If you ask me, I think that nickname of yours is just that-a name."

When she saw the stricken look on the child's face, the redhead put a hand on Alice's shoulder and growled at the other mamodo. "Shut up, you brat. I won't have you badmouthing my friend. If you don't stop, you'll have to deal with me."

The silver haired girl glanced up at her friend. "Haley." Her friend looked down and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Alice. I got your back."

Ana sighed, "Can we get on with this? I have more important things to do than this. Kouji, hurry up and burn their books already. I'm tired." Her partner scoffed, "You always say that, Ana. I think you're just lazy." He winced when Ana hit his head with her parasol. "Ow! What was that for?"

She crossed her arms and huffed, "For being a rude brat."

When Haley noticed that the mamodo team was distracted, she leaned down to whisper in Alice's ear. "We're gonna make a break for it. There's no way we can beat them without our partners. They're distracted, so this is the perfect chance."

The young girl nodded but was startled when her friend picked her up. She gave the older girl a surprised look, and the other replied, "Since we're about to start running, I thought this would be the best way. My legs can cover more distance than yours."

The high school student slowly tiptoed away from the quarrelling team as she headed for the park's entrance. Right as she passed through the gate, the redhead heard a "Hey they're running away!" Haley immediately took off not even turning around to see if the two were following them. She knew they would.

Kouji and his partner chased after the girls when they realized the two were trying to run away. The blond mamodo cursed, "Damn I didn't even notice that they moved. Ana, read me a spell!" The curly haired girl sighed, "Fine if it means we can stop this foolishness." She pulled out a pale yellow book and read, "Zerom!"

Haley took deep breaths as she continued to run. _"Well at least they're not attacking us." _An electric blast hit the area near her feet. _"Damn. I spoke too soon!" _She quickened her pace as the mamodo team kept firing at her.

Alice looked up at her worriedly. "Haley, you should put me down. If you do, I can stay here and distract them while you get help. I don't want you to get hurt." The older girl shook her head. "Nope I'm not leaving you alone with these guys. Who knows what they'll do to you. Besides Derrick wouldn't forgive me if I let something happen to you. And I definitely wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I left you on your own."

Kouji lifted his arm again. "Those first two blasts were warning shots. If you don't wanna get fried, I recommend you surrender." He sighed once he realized they weren't slowing down. "Fine. We'll do it the hard way. Ana use the second spell." The blonde huffed, "Quit ordering me around! Zeramu!"

She didn't care if the first shots were just for warning. Haley was not planning on stopping for anything. The redhead wasn't one of the most athletic girls in the world, but she at least knew how to run for her life.

A sudden searing pain in the back of her left leg caused Haley to crash to the pavement. The girl tried to get up, but the pain kept her from moving. She checked on the girl in her arms. "Alice, are you alright?"

The silver haired girl nodded. Her eyes grew large when she saw the teen's leg. "Haley, you're injured!" The older girl glanced down at the calf of her left leg and winced. In her leg was what appeared to be a lightning bolt made out of yellow energy. She touched it and to her relief didn't get shocked.

Haley sighed, "Well at least it's not a real lightning bolt, or I'd really be screwed." She noticed the other mamodo team was getting closer. _"So much for our head start." _The teen slowly pulled the object from her leg and bit back a scream. _"No need to scare Alice." _She thought as the lightning bolt was completely removed from her leg.

Alice looked at the wound worriedly. "We need to get you some help! It looks really bad!" The redhead gave her a small smile which was quickly replaced with a grimace. "Don't worry about me, Alice. I'll be fine. What's more important is getting away from those guys." She tried to get up again but quickly fell. "Ok scratch that. Time for plan B. Alice I want you to run away from here as fast as you can and get help. I'll try to hold them off."

The young girl shook her head. "I won't leave you! It's my fault that they're chasing us." Determination filled the young mamodo's eyes. "Don't worry, Haley. I'll protect you!"

Kouji laughed, "Oh really? Try to protect her from this!" His partner shouted, "Zerom!"

Haley's eyes widened. "Alice, get out of here!" She watched helplessly as the silver haired girl got in front of the teen and took the electric blast head on. "Alice!"

When the smoke cleared, everyone was surprised to see the young mamodo still standing with her arms spread out. There were little burn marks all over her clothes along with many scratches on her face. She glared at the other mamodo. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"

The blond mamodo scowled, "We'll see about that. Ana, use the third spell!" The girl sighed, "This better work, Kouji. I can only use so many spells. Zeromace!" Kouji smirked as he lifted his two arms and put his palms together. An electric blast way larger than the first one shot from his palms straight toward Alice.

"No!" With a new found speed, Haley sat up and reached out to grab Alice. She covered the girl with her body. The silver haired girl tried to get out of the older girl's grip. "Haley, let me go! If you don't, you'll get hit by the attack!"

The redhead shook her head and strengthened her hold on Alice. "I don't care! I won't let you get hurt anymore!" _"Looks like this is it. Man Kai, where the hell are you?"_

**Ooh my first cliffhanger! Please don't hate me! lol An even longer chapter than the last one. It seems each chapter just keeps getting longer. Sorry about that haha Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter please review! ^_^**

**Alice is the wonderful creation of Iron-Arm-V. Thanks again for the awesome OCs!**


	5. The Cavalry Arrives

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell!**

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter : ) Thanks to BetaWriter for the OCs I can't wait to use them X )**

**You guys interested in seeing what happens to Haley and Alice? Well you don't have to wait any longer. Here's chapter 5 ^-^**

* * *

When it seemed like the two girls were done for, a familiar voice from behind them yelled, "Kiroshield!"

Alice opened her eyes and lifted her arms. A giant metal spiraling shield appeared in front of the two girls protecting them from the lightning attack.

Kouji's eyes widened. "What the hell? Where'd that voice come from?" The blonde searched the area until he saw two guys running towards the two girls. His eyes narrowed. "Damn. Wild Cub's book owner showed up, and the other guy's probably the human's mamodo."

Ana frowned, "I told you we needed to hurry up. Now look what's happened. How do you expect us to win when it's two against one?"

Her partner growled, "Shut up, Ana. I won't back down just because their partners arrived. I doubt the girls will be much help in their condition anyway."

Haley loosened her grip on Alice and grinned at the two boys. "Took you guys long enough! Did ya get stuck in traffic or something?"

Kai rolled his eyes as he knelt down by his partner. "How was I supposed to know you were being attacked? It's your fault for being such a trouble magnet. You're such a pain."

Alice smiled broadly and jumped into Derrick's arms. "Derrick-kun! I'm so glad you're here! I'm sorry I left the house. I was bored and decided to explore. But those two found me and chased me around the city. I lost them for a while, but they came back!"

Derrick returned the hug. "You should've come to my school, Alice. I would've ditched my classes to help you out."

The silver haired girl glanced down. "But I didn't want to disturb you at school. I thought I could avoid a fight if I ran away from them. I'm sorry."

The black haired teen shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." He quickly examined her and noticed the scratches and burn marks all over her. His eyes narrowed. "Did they do this to you, Alice?"

She slowly nodded, knowing what was about to happen to the other mamodo team. "But I'm alright. I'm more worried about Haley. Her leg is injured really badly!"

Both boys looked at the redhead's leg, and their eyes narrowed when they saw the damage. Derrick put the worried girl back down and knelt down beside the older girl to examine her leg. He sighed, "It doesn't look too serious though we should try to stop the bleeding before she passes out from blood loss."

Haley scoffed, "I'm not gonna pass out." She grabbed her head when a wave of dizziness came over her. The football player smirked, "Sorry princess, but by the looks of it if we don't treat your wound now, you probably will."

Kai pulled off his jacket and tied it around his partner's leg. "It's not much. But it's the best we have." She smiled, "Thanks, Kai."

Kouji yawned, "Are you guys finished? I wanna get this fight over with." He chuckled when he noticed the glares sent his way. "Aw are you two upset I hurt your little human friend? Well too bad, it's her fault for trying to run off with the kid."

Derrick cracked his knuckles. "Alice, you stay here and take care of Haley. Kai and I will handle this."

The black haired mamodo rolled his shoulders. "Might as well. The sooner this is over the sooner I can go back to sleep."

The redhead rolled her eyes at her friends' behavior. "You want me to use a spell or do you wanna do it the old fashioned way?"

Her partner began to stretch his arms. "Just use Chisokumera once and I'll be fine."

Alice stared at her partner. "Are you sure you don't want me to help, Derrick-kun?" He waved his hand. "Nah we'll be fine, Alice. By the looks of it, you two have already worn those guys out."

Ana scowled, "I do believe they're underestimating us, Kouji. And I don't like it." Her partner sighed, "You don't like a lot of things, Ana." The blonde mirrored her scowl. "But you're right. These two are pissing me off. Let's take care of them quickly."

Haley smirked, "Sorry but it's not gonna be that easy." She opened the silver book and shouted, "Chisokumera!"

A silver aura surrounded Kai's body as he ran straight toward Kouji. Before the blonde could blink, the black haired mamodo had disappeared. The wind mamodo quickly reappeared behind the other and began his attack with a flurry of punches.

Kouji tried to dodge the blows, but it was difficult because of their speed. He managed to avoid some of the blows, but he wasn't so lucky with the rest. When the lightning mamodo tried to counterattack, the other mamodo would simply disappear before he could land a hit. Kai got in a couple of good hits- one to Kouji's chest, his right arm, his gut, and his face.

The blonde slid backwards and winced, "Man he's pissed. Ana a little help here!"

Seeing that her partner was having trouble, Ana decided to lend a hand. She was about to open the pale yellow book when a "Boo!" from behind startled her. The blond girl turned around surprised to see Derrick there waving at her. Ana took a deep breath to calm her nerves and glared at the football player. "It's rude to sneak up on a lady like that! You barbarian!"

The black haired teen wore a mock-hurt expression. "Aw that hurts. I'm sorry I scared you." He gave her a wink. "I just wanted to get your attention."

Ana blushed, "W-well I guess that's alright." She quickly shook her head. "Wait a minute. You can't fool me. I know you're just trying to distract me to keep me from helping Kouji."

Derrick blinked innocently at her. "Me? I wouldn't do that. I would never try to fool a lady." He grabbed her hands. "Especially one as pretty as you."

Her face turned red again at the teen's charming words. She turned her head to the side. "I'm a lady. I won't stand for being toyed around with like this. Besides, I'm already seeing someone."

The football player gave her a sad look. "That's too bad. Whoever the guy is, he sure is lucky. I guess I'll leave you alone then." He let go of her hands taking the pale yellow book with him as he ran over to Alice and Haley.

The blond haired girl nodded to herself. "That's right. A true lady like me would never lower her standards for someone like him." A few seconds passed until Ana realized she no longer had the book. "Y-you hooligan!"

Derrick chuckled as he walked up to the girls. "That was way too easy." Alice hugged his leg. "That was amazing, Derrick-kun! You're so smart!"

Haley shook her head. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" The black haired teen grinned, "What? You jealous?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Are you gonna burn the book?"

He nodded, "Yeah though I wanted to make sure Kai got enough licks in. Actually I wanna take a few swings at the guy myself." The football player knelt down and handed the redhead the book along with a lighter. "Here I'll let you take care of this. I wanna make sure I can punch that mamodo at least once."

The girl chuckled as she watched him run towards the two fighting mamodo. "What an idiot." Alice giggled, "Derrick-kun is very protective of his friends. He's mad that the two of us got hurt while he wasn't here."

The high school student grinned, "Yeah hopefully beating up that other mamodo will make him feel better." She patted the silver haired girl on the head. "I forgot to say this earlier but thanks for protecting me. I would've been a goner without you."

Alice blushed and stared at her feet before looking back at Haley. "I didn't do much. I just wanted to help. You've been so nice to me since we've met. I didn't wanna see my new friend get hurt."

Haley smiled warmly at the silver haired girl and gave her a hug. "I'm lucky to have you as a friend. I'm glad I met you, Alice." The young girl returned the hug and smiled, "I'm happy I got to meet you too, Haley."

After their hug, the redhead brought out the lighter and lit the book on fire. She glanced over at the three boys still pounding on each other. "Well I think they've had enough time playing."

When Kai and Derrick realized that the other mamodo was disappearing, the two stopped their assault. The football player sighed, "Man I was hoping Haley would wait longer before burning the book."

The black haired mamodo shrugged, "Who cares? Now we can go home." Kouji scowled at the two. "So that's why Ana hasn't been using any spells. Damn girl can't even protect a book."

The blonde winced when a familiar black parasol made contact with his head. He glared at his partner. "What the hell was that for?" Ana scoffed, "For being a rude brat."

She knelt down beside her partner. Kouji was surprised by the sadness in her eyes. "I apologize for losing the book. I let that hooligan distract me which led to us to losing the battle." The blond girl looked to the side and mumbled, "I'm sorry for being a bad partner."

The girl said it so softly that the boys didn't hear it except for Kouji who was right beside her. He grinned, "Wow I never thought I'd see the day. You actually admitted you made a mistake." The blonde continued to grin when his partner scowled at him. "Apology accepted."

Ana blinked, "You're going to forgive me just like that? Even though I caused you to lose your chance of become king of the mamodo world?" Kouji shrugged, "Sure. I knew you weren't cut out for this battle, Ana. I'm surprised we made it this far. I didn't really care about becoming king. I just wanted to see how many teams I could beat."

The mamodo was surprised when his partner suddenly hugged him. "A-Ana?" When she pulled away after a few seconds, the blonde noticed there were tears in her eyes.

Ana scrubbed her eyes furiously before giving a small smile to the shocked blonde. "Don't be so surprised. I'm not completely heartless. Even though you annoyed me, I still enjoyed having you around, Kouji. When we first met, you were brash and uncouth, but I saw potential in you. I wanted to mold you into the perfect gentlemen though it didn't quite work out. After you told me about this battle, I hoped if I helped you that you might become more like a gentleman once you were king. Though in the end, it was my fault you couldn't become king."

Once he got over the shock of seeing his usual stoic friend show such emotions, Kouji smiled, "I appreciate your efforts, Ana. I knew you wanted me to become more like a gentleman. At first I was mad that you wanted me to change, but when I realized your good intentions, I tried to learn even though I didn't see the point. I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble."

His partner shook her head. "No need to apologize. I knew you hated wearing suits and taking etiquette classes. I just hoped you'd grow into them. I'm sorry for forcing that on you."

He grinned, "That's alright. After all I was the one who forced you to take part in this battle. Even though it was dangerous, you agreed to help me. I appreciate that. I'm glad I got to meet you, Ana."

More tears trailed down the girl's cheeks. "You were my first real friend. You never cared about my wealth, and you didn't leave even when I was mean to you. Thank you, Kouji."

Kouji wiped away her tears. "You're welcome. Thank you for taking such good care of me. I promise I'll try to be more of a gentleman back in the mamodo world. I won't let your teaching go to waste."

With those final words, the blond mamodo disappeared. Ana let a few more tears fall before standing. She wiped her face and walked away ignoring the stares sent her way by Kai and Derrick.

The two glanced at each other before shrugging. They quickly made their way back to their partners. Derrick looked at Haley and pouted, "Couldn't you have waited a few more minutes before burning the book? I wanted to punch him some more."

Kai yawned, "Can we go home now?" The older girl rolled her eyes. "You two are hopeless."

The football player grabbed her hands. "Aw don't say that. You know you love me." He winked making her face turn red. She pulled her hands away and hit him on the head. "Damn flirt!"

Derrick grinned when he saw her flustered reaction. _"How cute." _"It's getting late. We should start heading home."

Alice's eyes widened. "But what about Haley? She's injured! We need to take her to a doctor!" The black haired teen patted her head. "Don't worry I didn't forget about her, Alice. We'll help her get home and properly bandage her wound. If it's really bad, then we'll take her to a doctor."

The redhead sighed, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. Kai can carry me home, right Kai?" She waited for a response, but when she didn't get one, the girl growled, "Kai!"

"What? Do I have to? Derrick already offered to carry you. Why should I make more work for myself?"

Haley scowled as she punched his leg. "Lazy jerk!" Derrick chuckled, "You two are quite the pair. I can only imagine what kind of team you are in battle."

Alice smiled, "I bet you two are really strong." Haley smiled at her friend. "Yep we're a pretty good team. When Kai's not being lazy, of course."

Slowly, the two boys helped the redhead to her feet and made sure to keep pressure of her left side. Because the group had to move slowly due to Haley's injury, it wasn't until twenty minutes had passed before they arrived at her apartment.

Once inside the apartment, the boys set the girl down on the living room couch, and Alice propped up her injured leg with a pillow. The redhead smiled, "Thank you, Alice." The silver haired girl returned the smile.

Derrick knelt down by the injured girl and unwrapped her leg. "Hey Alice will you go look for a first aid kit? We're gonna need to clean and properly wrap Haley's leg before it gets infected."

Kai sighed, "I'll show you where it is." Alice nodded as she followed the other mamodo to the bathroom.

Haley smirked, "A football player and a doctor, what a combo. Are you an actor too?" The black haired teen returned the smirk. "How'd you know? Considering how many injuries I get from playing football, I should at least know how to treat small injuries like this."

She chuckled, "That's true." After a short pause, the girl added, "Thank you."

The football player grinned, "I'm always willing to help a damsel in distress." He winced when she hit him on the head. "Damn I should've seen that coming. Even when you're injured, you're dangerous."

The redhead huffed, "Of course. You'll learn it's never wise to underestimate me, you damn flirt."

Derrick laughed before a serious look came across his face. "It should've been me that was injured not you. Those guys were after Alice. She's my partner, my responsibility."

Haley was surprised by the teen's sudden change in attitude but quickly shook her head. "It's not your fault, Derrick. You had school and football practice. You can't keep an eye on Alice all the time. I'm the one who let her get injured. She was protecting me after I got hurt."

The black haired teen scowled, "It wasn't your fault. I should've brought her to school with me. Maybe then she would've been safe."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What were you gonna do take her to each of your classes? You know the teachers wouldn't have let you. Face it, Derrick. We can't blame ourselves for this one."

The football player sighed, "I guess you're right but still-," he punched the floor, "I wish I could've done something. I hate that I wasn't there to protect you two. I'm Alice's partner. I should've been there for her."

The redhead put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand your anger. If I was in your place, I would've been mad too, but what's more important now is that you did show up. If it wasn't for you and Kai, we would've been done for."

Derrick frowned, "Yeah I guess so." He shook his head and smiled, "Sorry about that. I let my emotions get the better of me."

She shrugged, "That's alright. It happens to me all the time." He grabbed her hands and grinned, "I wonder how I should repay you. After all, you did protect Alice for me while I was gone."

Haley blushed and swatted his hands away. "Damn flirt!" The black haired teen chuckled and gave her a small smile. "But really, thanks for protecting Alice. I don't know what I would've done if something happened to her."

The girl returned the smile. "You're welcome. Alice is my friend. Of course I didn't want her to get hurt."

Not too long after their conversation ended, the two mamodo returned with the first aid kit. Alice ran over to the couch. "I'm sorry we took so long. We didn't know where the kit was."

The redhead gazed at Kai and lifted an eyebrow. "You couldn't find it? I thought I told you where it was after you moved in."

The black haired mamodo scratched his head. "I wasn't really paying attention to you when you were talking that day. I was just waiting for you to stop talking, so I could back to sleep."

Haley growled, "Why you, lazy jerk!" She attempted to get up to punch him, but the pain from her leg kept the girl grounded.

Derrick raised his hands. "Whoa take it easy, princess. You don't wanna make your injury worse do you?"

Before the redhead could retort, Alice interrupted, "Please lay down, Haley. We just wanna help you." The older girl's face immediately softened. She sighed, "Alright I'll stay still, but only because Alice asked me too."

The silver haired girl beamed, "Thank you." The football player chuckled. _"Looks like we might have found Haley's weakness. Not that I can blame her. I can't resist Alice either." _"Ok let's get that wound taken care of."

After a few minutes, Derrick had Haley's leg cleaned and wrapped. "Well that should take care of it. I think as long as you stay off of it for a few days you'll be alright."

Kai sighed, "Does that mean I'll have to carry her to bed? What a pain." Fortunately for Haley, he was close enough that she could punch him. "Shut up, you lazy jerk. I'm not that heavy."

Alice looked at the older girl worriedly. "Are you sure you'll be alright, Haley? Did you get injured anywhere else?"

The redhead smiled, "I'm fine, Alice. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. You're the one who took that attack head on."

The silver haired girl blushed, "I-I'm alright. Mamodo's bodies are stronger than humans. It doesn't hurt as much as it did before." Derrick knelt down beside his partner and put a hand on her head. "Still we're gonna clean those scratches of yours. Even if you say they don't hurt now if they get infected, they will later." He looked over at the other girl. "You mind if I use the first aid kit to tend to Alice?"

Haley shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, I would've been mad if you didn't." The black haired teen chuckled, "I thought you would say that."

It only took Derrick a few minutes to clean and bandage Alice's wounds. When he glanced at the window and saw the sky darkening, the football player realized how late it actually was. He stood up. "I guess we should be heading home. It's getting pretty late. Good thing we don't have school tomorrow."

The redhead grinned, "Yeah I would've really hated having to go to school with my leg like this. I would offer to let you guys stay here, but I don't have any extra beds unless you wanna chill with Kai on the couch bed."

Kai glared at this partner. "No thank you. The bed's barely big enough to fit me. There's no way anyone else can fit on it."

Derrick grabbed Haley's hand and winked, "I could always stay with you in your room. I could keep you company."

The girl turned red and punched him. "Damn pervert!" The football player backed away while rubbing his jaw with his smirk still in place. "Ouch what a punch. I wonder if that's what you'd call 'A fist of love'."

She glared, "In your dreams." The black haired teen grinned, "Looks like I'm in for a fun night then."

Haley's face turned a darker shade of red. Worried that her partner might be killed, Alice quickly stepped in. "I-I guess we should go. It was nice meeting you, Haley. I hope I'll get to see you again."

The other girl took a deep breath to calm herself down and smiled at the silver haired girl. "Of course we will. Anytime you're bored fill free to stop by. Kai here will keep you company."

Before the black haired mamodo could object, the redhead continued, "It's not like he's doing anything while I'm gone anyway. All he does is sleep."

Alice shook her head. "N-no that's alright. I'd hate to be a burden to Kai-san." Kai saw the sad look on the little girl's face and sighed, "It's fine. As long as I get a nap or two in, I won't complain. You protected my book owner. I owe you at least that much."

The silver haired mamodo's eyes widened. "A-are you sure?" When she saw the other mamodo nod, the girl beamed, "Thank you, Kai-san! I'm glad I was able to make friends with another mamodo. I hate fighting."

The wind mamodo nodded, "I don't like it either. It's too much of a pain. I'd rather be sleeping."

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "So you don't have any interest in becoming king?" Kai shook his head. "Nah not really. Haley's the one who's determined to make me king."

Two pairs of curious eyes landed on Haley. The girl shrugged, "I think Kai would be a good king. He may be lazy, but he's got a good heart. If it wasn't for him, I would've been a goner."

Alice nodded and smiled at the two. "I agree. Kai-san seems like a nice person. I also sense a strong power from him. He would be a great king."

The football player placed a hand on his partner's head and grinned, "Except he won't be able to beat us, right Alice?" The girl blushed, "O-of course, Derrick-kun. I don't want to lose either."

She stared at Kai determinedly. "I want to become a king to stop Nii-san. He wants to start a war with the rival clan. Nii-san believes that using peace won't solve anything. He says we have to use violence to get our point across. But I don't agree. I hate violence. I would prefer if we all just got along peacefully."

The black haired mamodo sighed, "What an optimistic kid." When he noticed the disappointment on the girl's face, Kai knelt down in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. "But that's not entirely a bad thing. I see nothing wrong with using peace over violence. I'd prefer you becoming king over all the other stuck up mamodo in this fight."

Alice's eyes grew large before she grinned. "Thank you, Kai-san! Let's make the final battle be between us. Either way the mamodo world will be in good hands. Though I don't plan on losing."

He returned the grin. "Sounds like a good plan. You have a deal." The black haired mamodo was surprised when the girl hugged him. "You know, you're the nicest noble I've ever met. Most of the nobles' kids I've seen are real snobs."

The silver haired giggled, "I get that a lot, but how'd you know I was from a noble clan?" Kai chuckled, "Well the silver hair was a clue, I had heard that the two kids from the Silver clan were in this battle. I'm guessing you're the youngest."

Haley gaped, "You're a noble, Alice?" The younger girl nodded, "My full name is Alice Silvers. I'm from the Silver clan. I'm the only daughter and the youngest child of the head of the clan."

The redhead whistled, "Wow that's amazing. You must be really well-known. No wonder that other mamodo seemed to know you. But why was he calling you 'Wild Cub'?"

Alice blushed, "That's the nickname Otou-san gave me. He calls Nii-san 'Great Kuma'."

Kai smirked, "Nice nicknames. Wait a minute. I think I've heard of your brother before. He's rumored to be really strong. I can see him having the power to start a war. No wonder you wanna stop him."

The silver haired girl nodded, "Nii-san is really strong, but he's also stupid. He really wants the last battle to be between the two of us to see whose ideals are stronger."

The other mamodo grinned, "Yeah older brothers can be a real pain." Both girls gave him a curious look. Haley asked, "Do you have an older brother, Kai?"

He sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. He can be really annoying sometimes. Nii-san always loves to tease me and compete with me. It can be a game of chess or just a debate. He loves to frustrate me."

The two girls nodded understanding his feelings. Alice added, "Nii-san always likes to brag about me. Whenever I do something good, he's the first to tell everyone."

Haley nodded, "Yeah my brother's like that too. When I was a baby, he'd argue with my parents about who got to hold me. Boys were so afraid of him they never went near me."

Derrick sweatdropped, "Hey hey hold on. Remember I'm an older brother too." They just stared and shook their heads at him.

Alice walked over and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, Derrick-kun. We won't hold anything against you for being an older brother. Let's head home. It's getting late."

The black haired teen nodded still sulking about the others' lack of response when he said he was an older brother. "Alright see you guys later."

His partner waved. "Goodbye. Thank you for taking care of me, Haley." She shifted her gaze to the other mamodo. "I look forward to playing with you, Kai-san."

Kai returned the wave. "Sure thing, kid." Haley grinned, "Bye, Alice! Hope you get home safely."

The football player pouted, "What no goodbye for me? I'm hurt, Haley."

She scoffed, "That's what you get for being a pervert."

Right as two excited the door, Haley shouted, "See ya back at school, Derrick! If something happens to Alice, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Derrick grinned, "Love you too, princess!" He quickly shut the door and took off carrying Alice on his shoulders before the other teen could react.

The redhead scowled, "Damn flirt. If my leg wasn't injured, I would've already gone ahead and kicked his ass."

Her partner sighed, "Well they're gone now so let's forget about that. Let's get you to bed, so I can go to sleep."

"Is sleep all you can think about?"

Kai shrugged as he picked her up. "What else is there to think about? I can't eat since there's no food, so I might as well get some more sleep."

Haley punched him. "And whose fault is it that we're out of food? You're the one that ate it all! If you had showed up after school like I told you to, we wouldn't have even been in this mess."

He countered, "Then you wouldn't have met Alice and she would've had to fend for herself against that mamodo team."

That made the girl shut up. She tried to think of a retort, but nothing came to mind. The redhead sighed, "I guess you're right, but I'm still pissed that you didn't show up."

The black haired mamodo smirked, "I knew you'd see things my way. I promise I'll help you go grocery shopping tomorrow, so for now let's just go to sleep."

Haley smiled, "Alright fair enough."

Kai put the girl down and helped her pull the covers over her. "Goodnight, Haley." She blinked sleepily. "Goodnight, Kai. I forgot to say it before but thanks for saving us earlier."

He shrugged, "I didn't do anything. It was Alice's spell that saved you." Haley shook her head. "But you still came and you beat up that mamodo."

The mamodo waved his hand dismissively. "Like you said before if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place." He clenched his fist. "It was my fault you got hurt."

She grabbed his hand. "I don't blame you, Kai. I only said that earlier because I was mad. I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd take it to heart."

Kai shook his head. "You had every right to say that. It's true. Because of my laziness, you were injured. I failed as your partner."

He was surprised when the girl hugged him. "No you didn't! You showed up just in time to help us. It's not your fault, Kai. Please don't blame yourself."

The black haired teen sighed, "Alright. I know that getting angry with myself isn't gonna solve anything. I'm sorry."

Haley let him go and grinned, "Don't worry I'll have you pay me back by carrying all the groceries."

Kai chuckled, "I should've known. Well that seems fair enough." He walked over to the door. Before he left, the boy turned toward his friend. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Right before her mind gave in to the calls of slumber, one thought crossed Haley's mind. _"I can't wait to see the look on Kai's face when he sees how many groceries he'll have to carry."_

**Sorry if the chapter was a little long. I had a hard time deciding where to end it haha Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Sorry if the battle scene wasn't very intense I'll make it up to you with the next chapter I promise. Also I have to apologize to Iron-Arm-V the whole time I only had Alice use one spell. I promise the next battle she's in she'll get her time to shine ^_^**


	6. A Botanical Mental Breakdown

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell!**

**I am so sorry guys! It's been over a week since I've updated and I'm giving you a short chapter. Please forgive me! *bows her head* Usually I try to update every weekend but last weekend I was really busy. Friday night I went with a friend to his prom and Saturday I had to be a bridesmaid in a wedding. So the only free day I had was Sunday. I thought about writing then but I got the first season of Supernatural in Saturday so I spent Saturday night and all of Sunday watching it lol I had the best intentions to give you guys a longer chapter to make up for it but unfortunately I didn't have much luck. I couldn't think of anything else to add to this chapter haha So again I'm really sorry! I promise I'll try to give you a longer chapter before the end of the weekend : ) **

**Here's chapter 6 of A Battle To Remember. If you're wondering about the chapter title, I just made something up. I couldn't come up with a cool title so I just put something crazy instead. Sorry if it doesn't make sense lol Hope you enjoy the chapter! ^_^**

* * *

Luckily for Haley, Derrick's diagnosis of her leg was right. Sunday went by without a problem regarding her injury. Unfortunately, the redhead's wound still hurt enough by Monday that she didn't want to go to school.

After she called the school to tell them she would be absent, the girl limped from the kitchen to the couch and plopped down by her lazy companion.

Kai shifted his gaze from the TV to his friend. "So is everything set?"

Haley began to nod before she snapped her fingers. "Damn I forgot to ask about my assignments."

The black haired teen shrugged, "So? You can just get them tomorrow when you go back to school."

She shook her head. "Then I'll have even more work to do once I get back." The redhead gave the boy a hopeful look. "Kai?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh no don't even think about it. I'm not gonna walk all the way to your school just to pick up your stupid homework."

"Aw come on Kai! Please?"

"Hell no."

The girl pouted before a smirk came across her features. "Fine. I'll just call Katsu and ask him to get my work for me. I have a feeling if I don't go to school neither will he. At least this way, I'll know he'll go to school."

The lazy teen nodded, "True. That kid can't say no to you. " He snickered, "After all, you are his 'Anego'."

Haley punched his arm. "Shut up. It's not like I told him to call me that. He must've learned that while he was in his gang." She pulled out her cell phone and searched for Katsu's number in her contacts list.

Kai smirked, "You're not gonna use your house phone? I thought you liked saving your minutes."

The redhead glared, "There's no way I'm getting back up anytime soon so screw that." Once she found her friend's number, she pushed the dial button.

After a few seconds, a familiar voice came across the line. "Anego? Is something wrong? School is about to start, and the teacher said you weren't coming today. Are you alright?"

When her friend finally stopped his tirade of questions, the girl sighed, "I'm fine, Katsu. Don't worry about me. I just got a little injury from a mamodo battle the other day. It's nothing serious, but I'd rather not walk on my leg just yet."

Katsu shouted, "What? You were injured? Are you at home? I'll be right there!"

Haley shook her head though she quickly realized he couldn't see her through the phone. "You don't have to do that. I told you I'm alright. Please don't skip school on my account. Actually I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor."

"Of course! I'll do whatever you want me to, Anego!"

The redhead grinned, "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

Katsu scowled as he followed the teachers and the other students in front of him. After Haley asked him to get her assignments, he immediately agreed to get them for her. Luckily for the redhead, it turned out she wouldn't be missing anything due to a class field trip they had both forgotten about. Unfortunately for Katsu, it meant he was stuck going to the large botanical garden in Tokyo.

_"Damn teachers. I should be with Anego right now. Not on some stupid field trip." _He thought as he silently separated himself from the group. Anyone who noticed him leave was stopped from telling the teachers by his glare.

Not long after the black haired teen left, Kira jumped down from a nearby tree and joined his partner. "Are you sure it's alright to leave the group? You could get in trouble."

The teen shrugged, "I don't care. The only reason I'm here is because I couldn't get away from those damn teachers."

The silver haired boy nodded. The pair remained in silence as they walked across the grass. The two froze when they heard a loud laugh. "Looks like we hit the jackpot, Hogoro!"

Two guys came out from behind a nearby tree. The taller one looked to be around 29 years old. He had slicked back brown hair and brown eyes. The man wore a black vest with the collar sticking up, light brown cowboy pants, and matching tap shoes. The way he was smirking at them really pissed Katsu off.

The smaller of the two appeared to be a year older than Kira. He looked exactly like the man beside him except he had red hair and a corsage on his vest. The boy wore a smirk similar to his friend. "They look really weak, Komaru. This might be our easiest fight yet!"

Katsu growled at the two while Kira just gave them a bored stare. "Weak? I'll show you who's weak, you little bastard!" He pulled out the grey book, and it began glow. "You ready, Kira?"

When he saw the boy nod, the black haired teen shouted, "Midero!"

A white light radiated from Kira's hand as he aimed it toward a nearby boulder. He flicked his wrist toward the other team causing the boulder to fly right at them.

Komaru grinned, "Sorry but that won't be enough to stop us, kid. Jailoshield!"

Right before the boulder hit the brown haired man and his partner, a white solar beam shot down from the sky and hit the attack completely destroying the boulder.

Katsu scowled, "Damn defensive spell." Before he could read another spell, the other man yelled, "Jaidarin!"

Hogoro smiled as he spread out his arms with his palms open. Suddenly, many white solar beams were shot from the surrounding flowers heading straight for Katsu and Kira.

The high school student smirked, "You're not the only ones with a defensive spell! Miderano!" A silver dome appeared and blocked the attack. "Now it's our turn! Miderum!"

The silver haired boy lifted his arms. All of the loose rocks on the ground began to float around them. Once he gathered enough of them, Kira sent the rocks flying straight toward Komaru and his partner.

The brown haired man laughed, "Boulders or rocks, it won't make a difference to us. They'll just get destroyed in the end!" He quit laughing when he realized how fast the rocks were traveling. "Jailoshield!"

The same beam shot down, destroying the rocks aimed at the two. When the spell disappeared, Komaru was surprised to see a smirk on the other book owner's face. "What are you-" He was cut off when a barrage of rocks hit him from behind.

The man cursed as he grabbed his partner to protect him. Hogoro's eyes widened. "Komaru!"

Once the assault ended, Komaru slowly sat up, wincing as he moved his back. He looked down at the red haired boy. "Are you alright, Hogoro?"

The boy nodded, "What about you? You were hit! I'm the one who's supposed to protect you!"

His partner grinned, "You don't have to worry about me. I'm way too strong to be affected by a weak attack like that. You know it'll take a lot more than that to stop me, right?"

Hogoro smiled, "Right!"

Katsu scowled, "Are you two done with your moment? I wanna hurry this up. I'm not in the mood for this."

Komaru chuckled as he slowly rose to his feet with help from his friend. "Now now no need to be so testy, kid. That was pretty smart of you to attack us from behind like that. You're smarter than I gave you credit for. Though you're still no match for us." He opened a pale peach colored book. "If you surrender now, I promise we'll go easy on ya."

The teen glared at the older man. "Yeah right. No way in hell are we gonna lose to you idiots."

The brown haired man frowned, "It's your funeral. Jaiseiuth!" Hogoro lifted his arms with his palms facing Kira. A rain of seeds shot from his hands straight towards the silver haired boy. "And, Jaidarin!"

Before Kira could blink, the seeds bloomed into flowers that surrounded him and Katsu. His partner cursed, "Damn, Miderano!" Another silver dome appeared and surrounded the two just as all of the surrounding flowers shot beams at them.

The black haired teen's eyes widened when he saw a crack appear in the dome. He quickly hid the grey book in his shirt and pushed Kira to the ground covering the boy with his body just as the dome exploded from the pressure of all the attacks.

Slowly, the high school student sat up and coughed, "Are you alright, Kira?" The silver haired boy nodded as he too got into a sitting position. When he saw that the mamodo was uninjured, Katsu quickly pulled out the book to see if it had been damaged by the attack.

Luckily, none of the beams had managed to hit the book. He breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close." The two rose to their feet and faced their opponents. "Looks like they're not as weak as I thought."

Kira smirked, "I guess we'll have to get serious too." The other chuckled, "Those two won't know what hit them."

Their eyes widened when the grey spell book began to glow brightly. The black haired teen grinned broadly. "Looks like we have a new spell, Kira. You ready to use it?"

The mamodo returned the grin. "Definitely."

Hogoro snapped his fingers. "Aw man that was so close! We almost had them!" Komaru patted the boy's head and chuckled, "Don't worry we'll get them with the next attack."

The red haired boy pumped his fist into the air. "Hell yeah!"

The pair returned their attention to the other team when they noticed their book was glowing. The brown haired man sighed, "Looks like they've learned a new spell. Not that it'll do them any good. There's no way they can beat us."

Katsu smirked when he heard that. "We'll see about that! Miderum!"

The silver haired boy lifted his arms toward two nearby unopened bags of fertilizer. Like before, the bags were quickly sent flying toward the other team.

The older man laughed, "Fertilizer? Really? You must be getting desperate. Our defensive spell can easily stop that."

The other book owner continued to smirk. "Don't think that's all there is to the attack. Now Kira!"

Right before the bags could hit Komaru and his partner, the bags rammed into each other creating a smokescreen of fertilizer. The two coughed as they waved their arms trying to clear the air.

The brown haired man grabbed his friend and tried to escape the smokescreen before they got attacked. Just as he exited the cloud of fertilizer, Komaru heard a familiar voice shout.

"Midareu!"

The eye outline on Kira's shirt began glowing brightly. A large purple beam fired from the outline straight at the unguarded book owner.

The man couldn't see the attack because of the fertilizer still in his eyes, but he knew it was coming. The only thing he could think to do was to try to face the opposite way of the attack and protect Hogoro. Komaru quickly fell to the ground when he felt a searing pain coming from the center of his back. The pain was so overwhelming that he couldn't move.

The red haired mamodo quickly moved out from under his partner and began to shake his prone form. "Komaru? Komaru? Please say something!"

Katsu whistled, "Wow that's some attack. That'll definitely come in handy in future battles." Kira nodded, "It looks like their book is still intact should we finish the job?"

The black haired teen shrugged, "I guess. Though we should probably check to see if we killed the guy or not. I don't think Anego would be happy if we killed someone."

The two walked over to the other team taking in the sight of a crying Hogoro shaking a still non-responsive Komaru. The high school student knelt down beside the man. He reached out towards Komaru's neck when the red haired boy grabbed his hand.

Hogoro glared, "Don't touch him! I won't let you hurt, Komaru!" The boy rubbed his head when Katsu hit him. "Relax kid. I'm not gonna hurt him. I'm just gonna check his pulse."

He placed two fingers on the older man's throat looking for a pulse. When he finally found one, the teen sighed, "He's alive."

The red haired mamodo's eyes widened. "Really? Is he gonna be alright?"

Katsu shrugged, "Probably. I don't think the attack did any serious damage though you might need to take him to a hospital to have him checked out."

Hogoro gave him an astonished look. "What? You're not gonna burn my book? After we attacked you like that?"

The black haired teen scowled, "Don't remind me or I might change my mind. This guy obviously needs medical treatment, and I'm definitely not gonna do it. I might as well let you stick around. So you can stop crying now."

The mamodo rubbed his eyes and returned the scowl. "I wasn't crying! I just had something in my eye!"

The high school student rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He turned around and began to walk away with his partner when a thought came to him. "Since we spared your lives, you owe us one. Better yet you two can pledge your undying loyalty to Anego in exchange for us not burning your book."

The redhead's eyes grew large. "What? No way are we gonna pledge our loyalty to you guys or your sister. Forget it!"

Katsu spun around and glared at the boy. "Oh? I take it you've changed your mind about us burning your book?"

Hogoro quickly shook his head. "We'll do it! We won't attack you or your sister."

Kira smirked, "She's not actually his sister. He just calls her that. Her name's Haley Storm and her mamodo's name is Kai. I'd advise you keep your promise and not mess with them."

His partner grimaced, "Why'd you tell him all that, Kira?"

The silver haired mamodo shrugged, "Just thought I should clear up any confusion we might have in the future. Besides, he'll need to know who she is so he'll know not to attack her."

Hogoro raised an eyebrow. "So if she's not really your sister, then why are you helping her? If she has a mamodo, then she's your enemy right?"

The high school student scoffed, "Like I would ever hurt Anego. I pledged my loyalty to her. I swore I would never fight her unless it was the final battle between Kai and Kira."

Kira rolled his eyes. "Let's just say we owe her one."

Katsu sighed, "Come on. Let's go find my class. The field trip has to be over by now." Before walking away, he turned towards Hogoro. "Remember if I find out you've attacked Anego after promising you wouldn't. I won't show you any mercy."

The red haired mamodo shivered at the icy tone in the teen's voice. "Right. We won't attack her or you anymore. I promise." _"Though I can't promise that Komaru will go along with this."_

The black haired teen nodded, "Good."

* * *

A few minutes passed by in silence between Katsu and his partner before Kira finally spoke up. "That was very unlike you to let them go like that, Katsu. Any other time and you would've burned their book in a heartbeat."

The teen scratched his head. "Yeah well I just didn't feel like burning their book that's all." His partner smirked, "Looks like you've gotten a little soft after meeting Haley."

Katsu scowled as his cheeks turned a light pink. "S-shut up! You don't know what you're talking about. I have not gotten soft! It was just too much trouble to burn their book!"

The silver haired mamodo chuckled, "Whatever you say, Katsu."

* * *

**Komaru and Hogoro are the awesome creations of BetaWriter : ) I hope I was able to do them justice. If I messed them up in any way, I'm really sorry. I tried my best to make them true to their characters.**

**I told you guys it was short well short compared to all the other chapters I've written lol Maybe now ya'll can understand why I was havin such a hard time adding stuff to this chapter. I mainly wanted to give Katsu and Kira their time to shine while Haley recuperates and I really wanted to use BetaWriter's awesome OCs X ) Hopefully the next chapter will be much better and longer haha I hope you liked the chapter ^-^**


	7. The Knight of Twilight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell.**

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter even though it was shorter than usual haha**

**Here's chapter 7 of A Battle To Remember. Hope you enjoy it! : )**

* * *

By Tuesday, Haley's leg was fully healed. She went to school for the rest of the week without any problems. Weirdly enough, it was already Saturday, and no mamodo had shown up to fight them.

Kai just said they were lucky, but his partner was still suspicious. Another good thing about the week was they learned two new spells. When she asked how since they hadn't battled at all in the past week, the lazy mamodo simply shook his head saying he didn't quite understand the spell books himself.

After she finished her morning classes, Haley headed home. She sighed, "I wonder why no mamodo have shown up recently. Even Derrick said they hadn't battle since last weekend. It's weird."

The redhead passed a bus stop bench and noticed a hand-held game laying there. The girl walked over to it and picked it up while raising an eyebrow. "What's a game doing here?" She glanced around to see if there were any children nearby complaining of losing their toy. "I guess some poor kid left it here by accident when they boarded the bus."

Haley jumped when she heard a voice behind her say. "I'm no kid, stupid girl." Immediately she turned around to see a boy, a year younger than her, giving her an annoyed look. "That's my game, so how about you hand it over."

Still wondering how the teen had snuck up on her, the high school student handed him the game. She had to look down since he was around 5'3. The teen had brown hair and amber colored eyes. He wore a white shirt, a dark blue jacket, and long jeans.

The brown haired teen smirked, "Take a picture it'll last longer."

She glared as her cheeks turned pink. "Shut up. I wasn't gawking at you. I was wondering if I've seen you at my school before. You look to be around my age."

The gamer shrugged, "Whatever. No, I don't go to your stupid school. I'm smart enough that I don't need a pathetic human education."

Before she could retort, an idea came to the girl. Her eyes widened. "Human education? Wait a minute. You're a mamodo aren't you?"

Her suspicions were proved true when she saw him narrow his eyes. "Oh? You know about mamodo? I guess that means your some poor fool's book owner."

Haley scowled, "You want me to kick your ass? I don't care if you're a mamodo. You're really starting to piss me off."

He laughed, "Stupid girl, you wouldn't be able to lay a hand on me. I'll give you credit you've got spunk."

When the boy disappeared, the redhead quickly looked around until she felt a presence right behind her making her freeze. The brown haired teen whispered, "Though I'd be careful who you threaten. It might just get you killed."

She quickly turned around and glared at him. "I'm not afraid of you. I don't care who you are or how strong you are. Kai and I can still kick your ass."

The gamer smirked, "So Kai's the name of your mamodo? Interesting, this should be a fun game. How about we have a battle later today? My book owner just left for work after he finished his classes and your mamodo is obviously not here. There's no point in trying something here though I could still kill you without my book owner if you still want to fight me."

Haley tried her best not to gulp or show any fear on her face. _"That's just what he wants." _She nodded, "Fine. When and where?"

"5:00 at the grassy field just outside the forest. No one should bother us there."

After that, the younger teen began to walk off. He paused when the girl asked, "Who the hell are you anyway? You already know my mamodo's name. I might as well know yours."

The boy glanced over his shoulder and gave her a chilling grin. "Neon Lockhart. Also known as The Knight of Twilight."

After he said those words, the gamer disappeared leaving an apprehensive Haley alone. Even after Neon left, the nervous feeling in her stomach didn't go away. "I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

"What? You picked a fight with Neon Lockhart? The Knight of Twilight?"

Haley covered her ears and winced at the volume of her friend's shouts. "I'm sorry ok? How was I supposed to know he was so famous? You never said anything about him before!"

Kai shook his head. "I just didn't think about it. I was hoping we wouldn't have to face him. Besides, you shouldn't be talking to mamodo that you don't know. It's dangerous! He could've easily killed you like he said."

The redhead lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Kai. You're right. I should've known better. He just really pissed me off."

The black haired mamodo scratched his head and sighed, "Well that's a noble for you. They're all like that well except for Alice. Most of them have that 'holier than thou' attitude. I'm not mad at you, Haley. It's my fault for not walking with you after school like I should've."

She scowled, "I don't need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself."

He chuckled, "Yeah and see what that get's you. Every time I leave you alone you get into some kind of trouble. I know you can take care of yourself, but it's not other humans that I'm worried about. You gotta understand that we're not like you. Mamodos are way stronger and faster than humans."

The girl sighed, "Alright I understand. I promise I'll be more careful next time. So what are we gonna do about this fight?"

"We run away."

Haley gaped at her partner. "What? We can't run away! He gave us a challenge! If we don't show up, he'll think we're cowards!"

Kai shrugged, "I'd rather be a coward than dead. Listen, Haley. I'm serious. Neon's not all talk. He's really strong. We wouldn't stand a chance against him. I don't want you to get hurt, and you don't want my book to get burned. The only way we can prevent that is if we stay as far away as possible from him."

A few minutes passed in silence as the two remained on the couch. The mamodo was still watching his friend waiting for a response while she was looking down. Finally after what seemed like forever, the girl raised her head and fixed her gaze on him.

The black haired teen was surprised by the amount of determination in the other's eyes. For a moment she just stared before saying, "I'm not gonna run away. I don't care how strong Neon is. I refuse to let him win without a fight."

The mamodo stared at her wide eyed. "What? You can't be ser-"

The girl cut him off. "I am serious. Kai, how are you gonna be king if we can't beat them? I know you don't care about being king and that you're only doing this because I wanted you too. But would you really be ok with someone like that becoming king of your world?"

When he didn't reply, Haley continued, "I know you think I'm stupid for wanting to fight in this battle, but after all the mamodo we've faced, my resolve has only gotten stronger. I'm sure there are plenty of mamodo out there wanting to be king that are real jerks, and I don't want them to win. Who knows what'll happen to your world if someone like Neon becomes your king."

Kai looked at her curiously. "Yeah so? Why do you care so much about that? It's not your world, Haley. It won't affect you." He winced when she hit him on the head. "What the hell?"

The redhead glared, "Of course it affects me! You're my friend, Kai! Anything that affects you affects me too. I want you and Alice to have a nice world to live in, and you won't have that with a bad king. You two are my friends, and I want both of you to be happy!"

All the mamodo could do was gape at his suddenly emotional friend. His partner added, "That's why I want you to become king. I'm sure there are also plenty of good mamodo like Alice out there that deserve a good king like you. I know that if you're king you'll take good care of your world, and everyone who lives in it. I believe in you, Kai."

Of all the things Haley could expect from her companion, she definitely didn't see his hug coming. "K-Kai?"

His grip on her tightened. "No one's ever said that to me before besides my parents, but parents say that all the time. In my world, I'm just known as the lazy slacker. In school, I never paid attention in class but still managed to make good grades on the tests I didn't sleep through. Most of the kids were jealous because of that, so they stayed clear of me. I mainly kept to myself. I didn't care what the others thought about me. All I did was sleep. You were the first person besides Nii-san who actually acknowledged me and the first to become my friend. Thank you."

To say the girl was shocked was an understatement. She was absolutely floored by the sudden show of emotion from her friend. Her eyes softened as she returned the hug. "Any time, Kai. You were my first friend too. That's why I promise I'll do whatever I can to make you king."

He chuckled as he released his grip on her. "You're very stubborn. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Haley smirked, "Oh yeah. I can't count how many times my brother told me that when I was little. I like to think of it as one of my more endearing qualities."

The comment only made him laugh more. "Whatever you say." Kai quickly sobered up and gave his partner a determined look. "We'll fight. It'll probably get us killed, but for some reason I don't wanna run away anymore. "

The redhead grinned broadly and pumped her fist into the air. "Hell yeah! That's the spirit! That noble bastard won't know what hit him!"

The mamodo smiled when he saw the excitement on the other's face. _"I don't know if we'll be able to beat him. Hell I probably won't be able to hit him if the rumors about him are true, but no matter what he does I won't let him hurt Haley."_

* * *

Haley walked across the grassy field near the forest with Kai as they searched for Neon and his partner. They knew he could easily find them but decided they'd rather not stay still to wait for him.

The pair froze when they heard a chuckle from behind them. "Well, well you actually showed up. I thought for sure you'd run away after you learned the truth about me from your mamodo."

Immediately, the two turned around to see Neon behind them playing a hand-held game with another guy, obviously his book owner, standing beside him. The other book owner stood around 5'7. Haley recognized him from the senior class at her school. He had sunny blonde hair and emerald green eyes. The teen wore a green shirt, a white jacket, and white pants. The girl also noticed he was carrying a black bag over his shoulder.

She glared at Neon. "I told you I wasn't afraid of you. I don't care how strong you are. We won't run away from a fight."

The brown haired mamodo smirked as he looked away from his game to glance at his partner. "See, Zidane? I told you she was a stupid human."

Zidane sighed, "Must you insult her? You're just gonna make her angrier. Because you provoked her, I had to come out here for your fight when I could be working on another game. This is so troublesome."

Kai nodded, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. How about you fight Neon while his partner and I just watch?"

Haley punched him hard. "Hell no! You're fighting! Besides, weren't you the one who said he had freakish strength? That bastard could kill me!"

The black haired mamodo rubbed his head and winced, "I was just kidding. Did you have to hit me so hard?"

She huffed, "Yes. You deserved it."

Neon returned to playing his game ignoring the other mamodo team. "Can we get this over with? You heard Zidane. He needs to go back to working on his games. I'm dying to play his new fighting one."

The girl pulled out the silver book which began to glow. "We're just waiting on you."

The brown haired mamodo smirked as he put his game back into his jacket pocket. He raised his right arm and opened his hand showing his five fingers. "Five minutes. I'll give you five minutes to attack me with all you've got. I won't use any of my spells. If you can't hit me in five minutes, I'll finish you in an instant."

Haley scowled, "You'll regret underestimating us! Ready, Kai?" When she saw his reluctant nod, the girl shouted, "Kazedron!"

Kai lifted his right hand and fired a wind blast straight at the defenseless Neon. The other mamodo simply yawned as he lifted one hand stopping the attack from reaching him.

The redhead gaped, "How the hell did he do that? He didn't use a defensive spell!"

The other mamodo began to stretch his arms. "Pathetic attacks like that won't even faze me. You have four and a half minutes left."

"Damn. Time for the second spell. Chisokumera!"

A silver glow surrounded the wind mamodo's body as he ran toward Neon. He quickly disappeared from the other mamodo's sight.

The brown haired mamodo whistled, "Impressive speed but-" He quickly turned around and aimed a punch at a surprised Kai. "Not fast enough!"

Kai barely dodged the punch and tried to retaliate when he felt a strong pain in his side. Neon knew what the other mamodo was planning, so he kicked Kai in the side sending the older mamodo flying.

Haley's eyes widened. "Kai!" She ran over to her fallen friend. "Are you alright?"

The black haired teen stood up slowly and coughed up blood. "I'm fine."

Neon laughed, "You're no match for my strength and speed. I'm surprised you can still stand up though I did go easy on you. You have three and a half minutes left. Better use them wisely."

Kai's eyes hardened. "Haley, use the second spell again."

She was about to ask why considering the spell didn't work the first time but stopped once she saw the determination in her partner's eyes. The girl nodded, "Alright. Here goes nothing! Chisokumera!"

Again a silver glow surrounded his body as Kai took off towards the other mamodo. The brown haired teen sighed, "This again? Didn't you learn your lesson the first time? Back in the mamodo world, I heard rumors about a mamodo named Kai being a genius. Maybe they were talking about another Kai because you don't seem too smart to me."

The wind mamodo unleashed a flurry of punches at Neon who parried each one. The younger teen was amused seeing that Kai wasn't letting up even though none of his attacks were successful. "Your determined I'll give you that. You have two and a half minutes."

"Will you just shut up?"

Neon raised an eyebrow when he noticed his opponent had vanished. He gave his surroundings a bored look. "Hiding won't save you. Once your time's up, you're finished." The brown haired mamodo moved his head slightly to the right as a fist passed right by his left cheek barely missing it. The fist quickly disappeared before he could grab it. "Not bad. Though still not good enough."

The gamer ducked as a leg flew over his head. He quickly stood up and grabbed the leg. The younger mamodo flung Kai a good distance away. "Like I said, not good enough. You have two minutes in counting."

Haley ran over to her partner and helped him up. She bit her lip. _"This is my fault. If I hadn't been so stubborn, Kai wouldn't be in this situation. We shouldn't have come." _

As if reading her thoughts, the black haired teen spoke up. "Don't go giving up on me just yet, Haley. I'm not done. You were right about not running away. There's no way I'll become king if I can't beat him."

The redhead shook her head to rid herself of her negative thoughts and grinned, "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. We haven't lost yet."

He nodded, "I have an idea so listen up." The teen leaned over and whispered his plans into the girl's ears. Her grin grew as he listed off all the details. When he was finished, Kai asked, "Alright you understand the plan?"

She smirked, "Oh yeah. This is gonna be awesome! I've been dying to use that!"

Neon yawned, "Are you two done chatting? You have one and a half minutes left."

Haley continued to smirk. "We're done alright. Done with seeing your damn smug face. Chisokumera!"

Kai vanished and reappeared in front of the other mamodo. The brown haired teen brought up a hand to block the incoming punch but stopped when he realized the attack was only a feint. He smirked when he noticed the wind mamodo's absence. "I get it. You're gonna use a combo of feints and real punches to try to confuse me. You think soon enough I won't be able to tell which one's which. Well sorry to rain on your parade but that won't work on me."

The younger mamodo caught the other's fist. "I've been training all my life. Petty tricks like this won't affect me." He raised an eyebrow when he saw the smirk on the older teen's face. Before the question left his lips, Neon heard a familiar voice shout.

"Kazedron!"

Amber eyes widened as he quickly threw Kai to the side as a wind blast erupted from the black haired mamodo's palm. The brown haired teen quickly lifted his right hand creating a barrier to block the incoming attack. "Very clever. I almost forgot about that wimpy spell. Looks like it's not as useless as I thought. "

A murderous gleam shone in Neon's eyes. "You have one minute. Better say a prayer before it's too late."

The older mamodo wiped the blood from his mouth as he slowly got to his feet. "Sorry but I'm not done yet." With Chisokumera still in effect, he disappeared from the younger teen's sight.

Like before, Kai began attacking with combinations of feints and real punches. Unfortunately, Neon dodged each one without having to grab the wind mamodo's hands. He knew better than to let Kai's palms get too close to him.

After dodging one of Kai's punches, the brown haired teen retaliated with a punch of his own. The punch only hit air as the black haired mamodo quickly vanished again. He sighed as he looked around. "Again with the hiding? This is getting too boring."

"Who says I'm hiding?"

Neon quickly gazed down and hardly had time to react when a punch came aimed straight for his jaw. He tilted his back and the attack barely missed his chin. The younger mamodo grabbed the fist as it flew past with one hand and punched Kai in the gut with the other.

"Ah not bad. You almost had me there." He dropped the silent mamodo to the ground and added, "Only half a minute left. I'll give you some credit. You weren't as pathetic as I thought you'd be though you're still way too weak to beat me."

The gamer was surprised when he saw the other mamodo disappear soon after he dropped him. "Don't you know when to give up?"

"Giga Kazemaron!"

Neon glanced briefly over at Haley and noticed the smirk on her face. He quickly searched the area for the wind mamodo but still couldn't see him.

"Up here!"

The brown haired teen lifted his gaze just in time to see Kai above him wielding a large sword made of wind. Just as the sword came down on him, Neon muttered, "Time's up."

"Traciasius!"

A humongous two-handed sword appeared in Neon's right hand. He brought it up just in time to block Kai's attack. The younger mamodo smirked, "Game's over. Sorry but you lose." With one arm, he swung the large sword cutting the attack in two.

With another swing, a wave of energy was sent crashing into the defenseless wind mamodo. The move sent Kai flying backwards over towards Haley.

The redhead ran over and used her body to catch her friend which knocked both of them to the ground. She quickly got up to check on his injuries. "Kai! Are you ok?"

A breath of relief passed her lips when she noticed he was still breathing. "Thank goodness. Kai can you sit up?"

To answer her question, the black haired teen slowly got into a sitting position and opened his eyes. She could tell by his heavy breathing that he was hurt badly. "Ok maybe you should stay down. That wound doesn't look too good." There was a long slash mark from Kai's right shoulder to his left hip which was steadily bleeding.

He shook his head as he tried to stand. "I'm alright. As long as that bastard is still here, I can't stay down. He'll kill us. I won't let him hurt you."

Haley tensed when she heard footsteps coming towards them. She quickly looked behind her to see Neon still holding his large sword and a bored Zidane.

The sword wielder smirked, "Looks like this is it for you. Don't worry. I won't kill your book owner. All I want is your book. Besides for some reason, Zidane doesn't like it when I kill humans."

Zidane shook his head. "Just hurry this up already, Neon. The deadline for my latest game is coming up, and I need to finish it soon."

His partner waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah yeah I get it. So you guys gonna hand the book over or not?"

The redhead held the silver book to her chest and tightened her grip. "Over my dead body."

Neon shrugged, "That can be arranged." He lifted the sword again with only his right hand and swung it at Haley.

She opened the book and yelled, "Kazerudo!" A large dome-like shield made of wind appeared and surrounded her and her partner.

"Exclanovia!"

The large sword disappeared and was replaced with a giant hammer that smashed the shield instantly. When the smoke cleared from the blast, the prone forms of Haley and Kai could be seen lying on the ground.

The brown haired mamodo sighed, "I told you guys you wouldn't stand a chance. You should've given up when you had the chance." He walked over to the girl and reached down to grab the silver book.

Neon froze when he saw her move the book under her body. He shifted his gaze to her face to see her half open eyes glaring at him. "How are you still conscious? Even if the hammer didn't hit you directly, the force should've at least knocked you out."

Haley panted, "Shut up. I told you. Only over my dead body will you get this book."

His amber eyes narrowed. "If I were you, I'd hand over the book. You don't want to get me angry."

She didn't budge. "I don't care what you do to me. I won't let you have this book."

Before the mamodo could retort, his partner's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Neon glanced up to see a curious look in Zidane's eyes.

The blonde asked, "Why are you so desperate to protect that book? You know that if he wanted to Neon could kill you. So why?"

The girl blinked, "Isn't it obvious? I don't want to see my friend get sent back to the mamodo world. I'm always willing to risk my life to help a friend."

Neon and Zidane gave her an 'Are you crazy?' look before the mamodo began to laugh. "You can't be serious! You're willing to die just to keep that weakling around?"

Haley glared at the two. "Kai's not a weakling! He's gonna become king of the mamodo world."

The brown haired teen continued to laugh. "You really are stupid or maybe crazy is a better word for you. Either way, there's no way he'll become king. Especially after I burn his book."

She tightened her grip on the book. "No way am I handing this book over."

Neon reached towards her but was stopped by Zidane who took a step in front of him. "Don't stop me, Zidane. The game's over. Time to take the prize."

The blonde shrugged, "I'm not trying to stop you. I just thought you might wanna take a look at your right shoulder first."

The mamodo raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the mentioned shoulder. His eyes widened when he noticed a scratch. If it wasn't for his keen eyesight, he wouldn't have seen it due to its small size. "What the hell?"

Zidane yawned, "Looks like some of the wind from that kid's sword nicked you before you finished him off. I wasn't keeping time but it's possible he got you before his time was up. But that's just speculation. Like I said before, I don't care what you do."

Haley was surprised when she heard Neon's began to laugh. The brown haired teen shook his head. "Well what do you know, looks like he wasn't as weak as I thought he was."

Neon squatted down beside the redhead and stared into her eyes. She returned the gaze and didn't once look away. After a few moments, the teen stood back up and chuckled, "Impressive. Besides Zidane, I've never met a human brave enough to look me straight in the eyes like that. I guess I misjudged you like I did your partner."

With that, the mamodo and his partner began to walk away. The girl tried to move, but her body wouldn't budge. "Hey where the hell are you going?"

The young teen glanced over his shoulder and yawned, "Home. Where else? Zidane needs to head back to work on his game, and I have a new game at home I wanna try out."

She gaped at him. "What? You're leaving just like that? I thought you wanted to burn our book!"

He shrugged, "I changed my mind. You're not worth the trouble. Besides, your partner did get a hit in though it was only a scratch. As a reward for somewhat winning the game, I'll leave your book intact."

Before he left, Neon added, "Oh and if I find out you lost to another mamodo, I gonna come back and kick your ass and your mamodo's. If he's back in the mamodo world, I'll just beat him up once I've won the battle." He snapped his fingers. "Oh I've been meaning to ask you. Have you seen my siblings? They're names are Azure and Aerial."

When he saw her slowly shake her head, the brown haired teen sighed, "Thought so. It didn't seem like my last name rung any bells when I first introduced myself to you. I thought I should ask just to make sure. Well if you see them around be sure to tell them that their older brother is looking for them."

With that, the two gamers were gone leaving an injured Haley and an unconscious Kai on their own. As soon as they left, the girl instantly relaxed. _"Damn that was way too close. I really thought they were gonna burn the book."_

The redhead smiled when she heard the light snoring from her partner's direction. _"We really lucked out this time, Kai." _She clenched her fists. _"We may have lost this fight, but we won't lose anymore. I've got to get stronger for Kai's sake and my own. This will be our last defeat, Kai. I promise." _

Haley tried to blink away the sleepiness in her eyes, but it was no use. It a matter of seconds she was unconscious like her partner.

Unknown to the girl, there were other people besides herself, Kai, and the other mamodo team in the area. Two guys ran towards the unconscious duo and separated to check Haley's and Kai's injuries. One knelt down beside the redhead and checked to see if she had a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered she was alive. The mysterious man slowly put an arm under the girl's neck and legs and lifted her as he stood up.

The stranger was quite tall standing around 6ft and looked to be two years older than Haley. He had spiky dark red hair and bright emerald green eyes. Though it was hard to tell in the dark, the man wore a dark green t-shirt with matching tennis shoes, and dark jeans. On his head, there was a green headband with a red dragon on it.

The redhead glanced over at his friend who was checking Kai's pulse like he had done with Haley. The other released a sigh of relief as he lifted the unconscious wind mamodo into his arms. This man had straight black hair that reached his ears and cerulean colored eyes. He was a few inches shorter than his red haired friend, standing at 5'9. The black haired stranger appeared only a year older than Kai. He wore an aqua blue t-shirt, a black jacket, dark jeans, and dark blue tennis shoes.

Sharing a quick glance, the two nodded before they ran off with the unconscious duo in their arms.

* * *

**Neon Lockhart and Zidane are the awesome creations of Windraider ^-^ I hope they were in character. I tried my best to do them justice and I'm sorry if they weren't.**

**I found out from google that in Japan kids go to school everyday except Sunday and only go to school in the mornings on Saturday. I didn't know that when I wrote the earlier chapters so I'm sorry if this chapter's confusing when comparing it to chapter 5. From now on, I'm gonna write the weekends like this.**

**I hope you guys liked the chapter! X )**


	8. Don't Mess with Big Brother

**Diclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell.**

**Hey everybody! Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Also when I read Windraider's review I realized I forgot to add Neon asking about his siblings like he usually does. So I went back and added that to the last chapter if any of you are interested in reading it though it's only a few words haha I'm happy you're satisified with how I wrote Neon I promise I'll try to make him more in character next time, Windraider : )**

**As a little bonus for you guys for being such awesome reviewers, I made this chapter extra long X ) (I really couldn't stop myself from typing lol) Here's chapter 8 of A Battle to Remember! **

* * *

Hazel eyes slowly opened taking in their surroundings. Haley blinked when she realized she was in her room. The redhead gradually raised her body to where she was resting on her elbows. _"How the hell did I end up here? Last thing I remember is falling asleep in that field. Did Kai carry me home?" _The girl shook her head. _"No way could he have done that with the injury he had. Though mamodos are stronger than humans. Maybe he was still able to move."_

Haley winced as she moved into a sitting position. _"Damn. If I ever see that brat Neon, I'm so gonna kick his ass! I don't care if he's all powerful. I'll take the risk!" _The high school student froze when she noticed she wasn't alone.

Only a few inches away was the red haired stranger that had saved her after she passed out. The man was apparently asleep with his head resting in his arms on the bed. She gaped as her eyes widened in recognition. "L-Leon?"

Apparently the word came out louder than intended since the man immediately woke up. He shifted his gaze all around the room as if he thought someone was about to attack him. Finally when emerald eyes met hazel, he stopped.

A few minutes passed in silence as the two redheads simply stared at each other. Then without warning, the red haired stranger pulled the other into a protective embrace. "Idiot! Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you know how worried I was?"

After recovering from apparent shock, the girl returned the hug and sighed, "Sorry. I didn't mean for things to end up like that. Trust me I had no plans to fall asleep in that field either."

Leon pulled back enough to look her in the eyes but didn't release his firm grip on the other redhead. "What the hell happened?"

The high school student scratched her head then winced again when she moved her arm. "Um that's kinda hard to explain. I guess you could say my friend and I got into a fight with some other guys." Hazel eyes widened. "Wait where's Kai? If you were the one who brought me here, what happened to Kai? Is he alright?"

The older teen nodded, "Yeah he's fine. Your friend is fast asleep on the couch. Don't worry. My friend Toshiro is taking care of him."

Haley released a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. What about his injuries?"

"Toshiro says the kid's wounds should heal pretty soon. He told me mamodo's bodies heal very quickly."

Leon laughed when he saw the surprised look on the other's face. "What? Didn't think I knew about the mamodo battle? I thought you knew me better than that, Haley. Remember what I told you when you were little? Older brothers know everything."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Let me guess. Toshiro's a mamodo too?"

He smirked, "You're as smart as ever, little sister. You get that from me. Yeah I met Toshiro a couple of weeks ago not too long after I first came to Japan."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "That reminds me. What are you doing in Japan? Last time I checked you were still in boarding school over in America."

Emerald eyes narrowed. "Well last time I checked my baby sister was still in the same country as me. What was mom and dad thinking letting you come here all by yourself? You're only seventeen! You shouldn't be living by yourself!"

The red haired girl sighed, "Ah so that's why you weren't at the airport to see me off. Let me guess. You didn't know I left until you came home did you?"

Leon clenched his fists as he grabbed the bedspread. "No. They knew if they told me I wouldn't let you go, so they waited until after you left to call me. As soon as I heard, I dropped out of school and boarded the next flight. I was in such a hurry I didn't even bother asking them where you lived though they probably wouldn't have told me. I kinda pissed them off when I yelled at them over the phone."

She shook her head. "I should've known. Well I can't really blame them. Who knows what you would've done to keep me from leaving. Though just to let you know I would've gone anyway. I really wanted to come here."

His grip tightened. "Then you should've called me and I would've come with you. Living by yourself is way too dangerous. Take tonight for example. If we hadn't shown up, you and Kai would've still been out there unconscious!"

Haley crossed her arms and looked away. "I can take care of myself, Leon. I know you were worried, but you don't always have to come save me."

A hand grabbed her chin causing her hazel eyes to meet his emerald. He gave her a small smile. "Of course I do. I'm your big brother. It's part of the job description."

The frustration left the girl's features as her lips curved upwards. She chuckled, "Yeah yeah. That's what you always say. You're like a broken record, Onii-chan."

He grinned, "What no 'onii-sama'?" His grin grew when she punched his arm. "In your dreams, Leon."

A few minutes passed as the two laughed and simply smiled at each other. Leon sighed before giving his sister a serious look. "How are you feeling? And don't try to make nothing out of it. I know you're not fine."

The red haired girl shrugged, "I'm alright. Just a little sore that's all." Before he could argue, she grabbed his hands and added, "Really, I'm okay. I promise."

Once he could tell she was telling the truth, Leon nodded, "Alright but if you're in any other kind of pain, tell me."

Haley smirked, "Aw are you planning on playing nurse? In that case, how about you make us some food."

The older teen rolled his eyes. "I should've known you'd pull something like this. You always did this whenever you were sick back when you were a kid."

She continued to smirk. "It's not my fault. You were the one who always took charge of taking care of me. Dad had to threaten to ground you just to get you to leave my room to do your homework. Besides, you never complained when we were kids."

He smiled at her fondly as he ruffled her hair. "Who said I was complaining?" The red haired man rose to his feet and stretched. "I'll go see what I can scrounge up from the kitchen."

A tug on his hand kept Leon from leaving. Haley grinned sheepishly as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry but I wanted to tell you something before I forgot." She smiled warmly. "Thank you for saving me and Kai. I'm glad you came."

The girl was answered with a simple squeeze on her shoulder. The red haired man returned the smile. "You're welcome. And don't worry, I'll tell Toshiro you said thank you too."

The high school student yawned, "I guess that freaky older brother mind-reading thing actually does come in handy after all."

Leon chuckled as he helped her lie back down. "It has its perks. How about you get some more sleep while I fix us something to eat?"

The only reply he received was a quiet snoring. Once she was tucked in, the older teen quietly crept out of the room. Right as he shut the door, the brother whispered, "Sweet dreams, Haley."

* * *

Kai groaned as he opened his eyes. He lifted a hand and winced when he touched the bandages on his chest. _"Man what hit me?" _The black haired teen slowly looked around the room and discovered he was lying on the couch back in Haley's apartment._ "How the hell did I end up here? Last thing I remember is passing out in that field."_

Sapphire eyes widened, and the mamodo tried to sit up. The sudden movement sent a jab of pain throughout his body from his chest. He grimaced, "Damn that hurts. I should've thought that last move through."

A nearby chuckle made the injured teen freeze. "That's true. I'm surprised. You barely do anything without thinking things through. You've changed a lot, Kai."

The black haired teen lifted his head to see the man who had helped him in the field when he was knocked out. Kai tried to keep the surprise off his face but ultimately failed. "Toshiro?"

The older teen smiled, "The one and only. Good to see you're awake, little brother."

Kai rolled his eyes as he lay back down on the couch. "What are you doing here, Nii-san?"

Toshiro wore a mock-hurt expression. "I'm hurt, Kai. It's been weeks since we've last seen each other, and this is how you greet me? And I went to all the trouble to save you. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be out cold in that field."

The wind mamodo gave him a bored stare before a serious look took over. "Where's Haley? Is she ok?"

The cerulean eyed boy nodded, "Your partner's fine, so you can calm down. Don't worry. Nothing is gonna happen to her with Leon around. He's not gonna let her out of his sight."

Tense shoulders relaxed once Kai heard his friend was alright. He raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Leon? As in Haley's older brother Leon?"

Toshiro smirked, "You got it. I'm assuming she told you all about him?"

The lazy teen sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. Ah great now I bet he's gonna kick my ass for letting her get hurt."

A hand on his shoulder made the younger teen look up. His brother gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about Leon. I doubt he'll get violent. The last thing he'd want is to get Haley or me mad."

Kai chuckled, "Don't I know it. I try to avoid upsetting her every day."

The older teen pulled up a chair close to the couch and sat down. "How are you feeling?"

The wind mamodo tried to shrug his shoulder but grimaced because of the pain from his wound. "I've seen worse. It hurts like hell, but I'll get over it. There's no point in complaining about it though if you have some painkillers I'll gladly take them."

Toshiro handed the other teen two white pills and a glass of water. "I had a feeling you'd say that, so I made sure I was prepared."

Unsteady hands reached out and grabbed the pills and water. "Thanks." After he sat up, the younger mamodo quickly swallowed the pills as he drank the water.

Once the water was gone, the injured teen gave the glass back to his brother who took it into the kitchen. When he returned, Kai asked, "So how did you two find us? The battle was in a pretty remote area. I doubt you guys were out there by coincidence."

The older mamodo nodded, "I sensed you. I'm really good at tracking down mamodo, but you especially. Though it did take some time to find you after I came to this world. As soon as we arrived at this town, I knew where you were instantly. Plus I could tell a mamodo battle was going on in the area. It wasn't too hard to put two and two together."

The lazy teen slowly stretched out on the couch and pulled the cover back over his body. "I get it. Makes sense. I'm glad you found us. It would've been hard for us to get back here on our own."

Toshiro sighed, "And what exactly happened to you two to get you this injured? I know you're lazy, but you're definitely not weak. You're stronger than you let on."

"We fought the Knight of Twilight."

Cerulean eyes widened. "What? The Knight of Twilight? As in Neon Lockhart?"

Kai blinked drowsily. "Yeah the one and only. Those rumors about him were true. He only used two spells, and he completely kicked our asses."

The older teen shook his head. "I could tell from the looks of your injuries, but how are you still here? Why didn't he burn your book?"

The wind mamodo shrugged slightly. He breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't feel any pain. "I dunno. You're gonna have to ask Haley about that. I think I went unconscious after he broke my shield. I can't really remember."

Toshiro scratched his head. "I guess we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Though I still find it strange that Lockhart would just leave your book alone like that, oh well. But seriously, why the hell did you have to pick a fight with that guy? I thought you were supposed to be a genius."

Sapphire eyes glared at the other mamodo. "It's not like we could run away. He probably would've found us wherever we went anyway."

"I have a feeling that's not the real reason why you fought him. Come on, Kai. You know you can tell me anything."

The younger teen sighed, "You're right. To be honest, I don't really know why I did it. Despite my warnings, Haley still wanted to fight that guy. She wouldn't listen to reason."

The other chuckled, "Leon's told me about his sister's stubbornness. It's quite famous. He's got a bit of it himself."

Kai grinned, "Yeah she's very hard headed. But it's not Haley's fault that we went. After talking to her, I actually wanted to fight Neon even though I knew he could easily beat me. I just didn't want to run away."

Toshiro smirked, "Wow. She must've said something pretty amazing to get someone as lazy as you willing to fight." He was surprised when his younger brother didn't give him a sarcastic reply.

Instead Kai just smiled, "Yeah I guess you could say that."

Deciding it was none of his business, the older teen didn't ask for details. Before he could change the subject, Leon entered the room grabbing both mamodos' attention.

The redhead grinned, "She's alright just a little sore. She woke up for a little bit and went back to sleep a few minutes ago."

The injured teen breathed a sigh of relief. The other mamodo chuckled as he patted his brother's head. Toshiro then raised an eyebrow at his partner. "And what are you doing out here, Leon? I didn't think you'd ever leave her room until she did."

Leon blushed slightly. "Shut up, Toshiro. Last I recalled, you were fretting over your younger sibling when you saw that large slash on his chest." He smirked when he saw the annoyed look on the older mamodo's face.

"I had every right to worry. It looked really bad. He's lucky we come from a family of incredibly fast healers. As long as he doesn't move, the wound should heal soon on its own without having to get stitches."

The older man whistled, "Wow you guys really can heal fast. I wish humans could be like that. It would come in real handy."

Kai yawned, "It has it good points. Now if you two don't mind, I think I'll go back to sleep. Thanks for the help. Good night."

Before the older males could reply, the lazy teen was already fast asleep. Leon shared a glance with the other teen. "Doesn't he know it's like 7:00 in the morning?"

Toshiro laughed, "I doubt it. It wouldn't matter anyway. He's weird like that."

* * *

A few silent hours passed in the apartment as Haley and Kai slept off their fatigue and injuries. While those two were resting, Leon and Toshiro either hung out in the kitchen talking quietly or just watched their siblings sleep.

By 3:00, everyone was awake and lounging on the couch in the living room watching TV. The youngest two of the group were on the couch while their older brothers were on the floor leaning against the couch.

The group stayed like that for awhile just enjoying each other's company. The peacefulness was short-lived however when both Kai and Toshiro suddenly tensed and rose to their feet. In Kai's case, he sat up from his reclined position.

The redheads shared an inquisitive glance before Haley finally asked, "What's the matter guys?"

Kai narrowed his eyes as he looked over the apartment. "There's a mamodo nearby, Haley."

The two humans stiffened and quickly stood up. Leon moved in front of his sister as if trying to protect her from some unseen force. "Where?"

Toshiro walked toward the window overlooking the nearby road and pointed outside. "Out there on the street. They must've tracked us here."

The red haired man grimaced, "Great."

Haley picked up her back pack that was leaning against the wall near the door. She set it down after she pulled out the silver book. "If they even think of attacking my apartment, I'm so gonna kick their asses!"

Her brother shook his head. "Don't even think about it, Haley. You're still weak from yesterday's fight, and Kai doesn't need to risk re-opening his wounds. Toshiro and I will take care of this."

Surprising everyone, she turned to her partner and asked, "Well? What do you think, Kai? Do you wanna sit this one out? I won't force you to fight."

Kai just stared at his friend completely flabbergasted. _"She's actually asking me if I wanna fight? That's new. Wait a minute. It can't be that she's actually blaming herself for me getting injured. Originally, she was the only one who wanted to fight, but I told her I changed my mind. Don't tell me she actually feels bad about getting me to fight?" _

The lazy teen did some surprising of his own by standing up without any help or complaining. He gave the girl a serious look. "I'm willing to fight if you are, Haley. It's whatever you decide."

Her eyes widened when she heard the underlining meaning in his words. He didn't blame her at all for him getting hurt. Her partner still trusted her judgment! Haley smiled warmly at her companion. "That's what I wanted to hear! You're turning into quite the candidate for king. If you keep listening to my tutoring, you'll be an awesome king."

He returned the smile as he heard the silent 'Thank you' in her words. "Uh huh whatever you say. Let's just get this over with so I can go back to resting."

Instead of insulting Kai for being lazy like he expected, the red haired girl just nodded, "You got it! You're not the only one looking forward to resting. It's still the weekend for me."

Leon coughed to get the younger teens' attention. "Sorry to interrupt your little chat, but I think you've forgotten that I've already told you two to stay inside."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "And when do I ever do as I'm told, Leon?"

He sighed, "Never."

She grinned, "Exactly! So let's get this over with before they decide to attack my apartment."

Toshiro chuckled, "Your sister's a lot like you, Leon. You're both incredibly stubborn."

Both redheads glared and retorted, "Are not!"

When the four finally made it outside, they noticed a lone girl standing in the middle of the street. She appeared to be around the same age as Haley though she was much shorter standing around 5'4. The girl had long black hair with blue high lights, dark blue eyes, and red pouty lips. The black haired teen was wearing a tight pink tank-top with black stripes, a black mini-skirt, and pink pumps. The main thing that stood out about the girl was the brown hawk perched on her right shoulder.

The newcomer smirked, "About time you guys came out. We were getting tired of waiting. Right, Falco?" The bird screeched as he flapped his wings. She nodded as if understanding whatever language the animal was speaking before she returned her attention to the others. "Two mamodo huh? Well that's just means we get an extra book to burn."

Haley scowled, "Don't plan on it. The only book that's gonna be burning is yours."

The black haired teen ignored the remark instead focusing her attention on Leon. "Well, well aren't you good looking. What's your name, handsome? I'm Hime. It's the Japanese word for princess. It fits me don't you think?"

Leon shrugged not at all interested in the attractive woman's advances. "If you say so." He turned his attention to his sister. "Let us take care of this, Haley. I know you wanna help, but we can handle this. So please just stay back."

The red haired girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Leon. We'll back off for now, but any sign of trouble and we're stepping in."

The older teen nodded, "Alright sounds fair." He opened a brightly glowing sky blue book. "You ready, Toshiro?"

"Whenever you are, Leon."

Hime crossed her arms and glowered. _"Did he just ignore me? What's that bitch have that I don't? I'm way prettier than her!" _A knowing smirk dawned her features_. "I guess I'll just have to teach him a lesson. No one ignores me and gets away with it!" _She pulled out a dark orange colored book and opened it. "Time to teach them a lesson, Falco. Boruk!"

The hawk hopped of his partner's shoulder and flew into the sky. He released a loud screech as his body began to glow. The others watched in amazement as the bird's size grew. By the time he stopped growing, the creature stood at around ten feet tall. Not only was its size different but also its color. Instead of the usual brown, his body was completely black.

The black haired girl grinned at the looks on the other's faces. "Are you surprised? Don't think because it's two against one that you'll be able to beat us so easily. Sorry but your books are ours. Go, Falco!"

Falco spread and flapped his wings. After a few seconds of hovering, the bird was high in the sky. Then, suddenly he swooped down and began a nose dive straight at Haley.

Hazel eyes widened. "What the hell? Why's it going after me?" Before she could open her book, Leon appeared in front of her to shield her from the oncoming attack. His eyes narrowed as he read from the sky blue book. "Mizuteron!"

Toshiro lifted his right arm and blasted a shot of water from his hand aimed at the large mamodo. The sudden attack caught the bird by surprise hitting him dead on. Falco's completely drenched form fell to the ground.

The red haired girl whistled, "Sweet spell. I wouldn't have guessed a water type attack. Thanks guys."

Her brother looked over his shoulder and smiled, "You'd be surprised about what we can do. This is only the first spell. Just sit back and enjoy the show." He chuckled when he saw her roll her eyes. Then a serious look crossed his features as he shifted his attention to bird's book owner who was now at her fallen mamodo's side.

When her eyes met his, the older teen glared, "Stay the hell away from Haley. This battle is between the two of us and our mamodo. Don't even think about hurting her."

Hime huffed, "I can attack whoever I want. If you were just nicer before, we wouldn't have this problem. She pissed me off, so now I wanna get rid of her. Simple as that." She winked at him. "And as soon as she's gone, you can hang out with me instead."

When Falco rose to his feet, he released a loud shriek. The black haired girl laughed, "Looks like I'm not the only one that's pissed. Let's finish these guys off, Falco." The dark orange book glowed brightly. "Borikun!"

The creature opened his beak and released some kind of sound waves. The others tensed when they saw large orange circular blasts headed straight for them. Leon shouted, "Mizurudo!"

A large gush of water erupted from the ground and surrounded the two redheads and their partners. Haley blinked in surprise when the water didn't actually hit her. Instead the water circled them as if they were in the middle of a geyser with a waterless center.

The sound waves hit the shield and fizzled out due to the water's strength. Hime scowled, "Don't get cocky! Falco hit the sky!" The large mamodo shrieked as he flew high into the sky. Soon the bird was so high that no one could see him. "Burkinu!"

Leon and Haley got into defensive positions as their partners searched the sky to try to discover where the attack would come from. Kai's ears twitched and he shifted his gaze to the right. His eyes narrowed when he saw something black heading their way. "Haley!"

When she heard her mamodo's shout and saw him raise his right arm, the girl opened the silver book and yelled, "Kazedron!" As soon as the word left her lips, the black object Kai saw came into focus. They were expecting Falco but instead all the four could see was a mass of black feathers heading straight for them. The young mamodo opened his hand and released a large blast of wind.

The wind hit the feathers cancelling out the attack. Haley smirked, "Oh yeah! That'll teach that chicken not to mess with us!"

Her brother shook his head. "I thought I told you to let us handle it." His attempt to look angry failed when his lips curved upwards. "You never listened to me before. I don't know why I thought you'd start now."

Toshiro gave his brother a curious glance. "How'd you know where the attack was coming from?"

Kai shrugged as he scratched his head. "I could hear it. My ears are very sensitive to anything regarding the wind. I guess it's because I control it."

The older mamodo chuckled, "True. I guess I should've expected that from you. You have the sharpest senses of any person I've ever met."

Hime stomped her foot. "We're not done yet! Falco put even more power into the next attack! Birokuno!"

Leon narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the sky._ "A new spell? I have a bad feeling about this." _"Haley, keep your guard up. This next attack will probably be stronger than before."

She nodded, "Right. Let us know when you hear something coming, Kai."

The younger mamodo cuffed his ears with his hands to listen better. "That was the plan. I'll find the attack, and Nii-san will take care of it." He turned to his brother. "That alright with you?"

Toshiro cracked his knuckles. "Sounds great. Get ready, Leon."

His partner smirked, "I'm always ready."

Kai stiffened as he moved his gaze and pointed right above them. "Up there! And they're coming faster than last time!"

The four looked up and saw the familiar mass of feathers heading for them. The only thing different about them was the feathers had a silver gleam to them. As the attack got closer, the group noticed that the feathers were made of metal.

Leon shouted, "Mizurudo!"

The same geyser as before sprouted from the ground to block the attack. Unfortunately, it had no effect as the feathers somehow flew right through the water barrier.

Emerald eyes widened. "Haley, look out!" The red haired man rushed over to his sister and pushed her to ground to avoid the attack. Kai and Toshiro jumped away and began to dodge the onslaught of feathers.

All the while, Hime was laughing at the others' plight. She smirked, "I told you I'd make you regret messing with me. This is your just desserts."

Leon gradually rose to his knees once the attack was over. He looked down to check on his sister. "Are you alright?"

Haley nodded as he helped her sit up. "I'm fine thanks to you. What about Kai and Toshiro?"

The two mamodo slowly stood up not too far from where their partners were. The younger teen dusted off his pants. "We're fine. We were able to avoid most of the attacks. It's only a few scratches."

The redheads helped each other to stand and walked over to the other two. The girl sighed, "Well at least none of the feathers hit our books."

Her brother clenched his fists. "That was too close. I can't believe our shield had no effect. I should've used an attack spell."

Toshiro shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Leon. Using Mizurudo was the smartest move. We couldn't have known how strong that spell would be."

His partner was about to argue, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Leon turned toward his sister. She smiled, "He's right, Leon. It's not your fault. We all make mistakes. Hell, I do it all the time."

The older teen chuckled softly before nodding reluctantly, "Alright you win."

Haley continued to smile before she shifted her attention to her partner. "You've been pretty quiet, Kai. Is something wrong?"

The water mamodo watched his brother and then grinned, "I know that spaced out look. You've got a plan don't you Kai?"

Kai looked up as if waking from a trance and smirked, "Oh yeah. I've got a plan alright. Lend me your ears."

The two redheads shared a curious glance before leaning down to hear Kai's idea. When he finished explaining, Toshiro and the two humans were sporting large grins. The wind mamodo continued to smirk. "I take it that you understand the plan?"

The three shared a look before answering, "Hell yeah!"

Hime tilted her head in confusion as she watched the group of four whisper among themselves. _"What are they planning? As long as Falco is in the sky, they won't be able to hurt him. And if they try to attack me, I can just use a spell to stop them from getting too close. There's no way they can win."_

When she saw them break their huddle, the black haired girl asked, "Are you guys done? I wanna hurry this up. I was hoping I could make it to the mall before it closes."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Yeah we're done. Sorry for the wait, _princess_." The other girl could hear the sarcasm in the last word. Falco's book owner glowered, "Now you're really pissing me off, you stupid bitch. Get them, Falco! Birokuno!"

The redheads and their partners got into a guarded stance. Leon surveyed the sky. "I hope your plan works, Kai."

His sister grinned, "Of course it will! Kai's plans always work."

Toshiro smirked when he saw the small smile on his brother's face. _"You've grown up since I last saw you, little brother. Looks like this battle has helped you out after all."_

Kai suddenly tensed as he shifted his gaze across the sky. "Something's not right. The attack isn't coming from just one direction. I can hear it coming from all over."

Hime laughed, "Don't think that Falco has a limit of how many feathers he can shoot. They can grow back in a matter of seconds. With his speed, you'll be completely surrounded!"

A large group of feathers appeared in the sky flying straight at the two mamodos and their partners. Hime was right. There were way too many feathers. They wouldn't be able to avoid the attack. Haley clenched her jaw then shouted, "Kazerudo!"

When Kai lifted his arms, a dome of wind appeared around the four. They were shocked when the attack didn't collide with the shield. Instead, the feathers hit the ground and encircled the group trapping them in a ring of large feathers.

Leon cursed, "Damn. That attack wasn't meant to hurt us, it was meant to trap us!"

The black haired girl smirked, "Nowhere to run or hide. Sorry but it's the end of the road for you guys. Finish them, Falco!"

A loud shriek could be heard as a familiar form headed for the trapped group. When the bird was close enough to be clearly seen, Hime shouted, "Borikun!"

Falco opened his beak and unleashed another blast of sound waves at the four. When she noticed that the others didn't move, the owner of the dark orange book grinned, "Aw have you given up already? That's too bad. Oh well maybe if you're lucky Falco's attack won't kill you."

The girl was taken aback when she saw a large smirk on Kai's face when he lifted his head. "Actually, we're just getting started. Now, Haley!"

Haley with a knowing grin yelled, "Chisokumera!" The wind mamodo's body emitted a silver glow before he suddenly disappeared. In a matter of seconds, not only was he gone. The others quickly vanished as well. As soon as they left, Falco's attack hit the ground where they were once standing only seconds ago.

Hime gaped, "What the hell? Where'd they go?" She jerked to the right when she heard a cough. Not too far away was the group of four smiling at her dumbfounded expression. "H-how?"

Kai grinned, "We were planning on you using that sound wave attack. I knew you'd try to trap us in order to prevent us from being able to dodge it. I had a feeling you were gonna use that spell to try to burn our books seeing as it would do more damage than those feathers. And in order for that bird to use that spell, he has to be closer to his target than with his other spells right?"

She scowled, "You wanted me to bring Falco back down from the sky in order to attack him. Well don't think you've won yet! Falco!" The creature appeared hovering a few feet above his book owner. At her command, Falco screeched as he flew toward the mamodos and their partners.

Leon smirked, "Sorry but that's not gonna work." The sky blue book in his hands gave off a bright light. "Giga Mizuaisu!"

Toshiro lifted his right hand and shot a blast of water at the oncoming bird. The large mamodo thinking it was another simple water blast simply stopped and used his wings to defend against the attack.

The bird's partner laughed, "Falco has been hit by your water once. His wings have already built up a resistance to that attack. It won't be able to hurt him now!"

The smirk didn't leave the red haired man's face. "Who said it was like the last attack?"

Dark blue eyes widened as she watched her mamodo freeze after being hit by the water. In a matter of seconds, the bird was an ice cube. "W-what? H-how?"

Leon wagged his finger at her. "I never said that our spells were only water types. Toshiro can use ice too. With that spell, anything the water touches immediately freezes." He chuckled at the surprised look on the girl's face. "You shouldn't have underestimated us. That was your downfall."

Hime scowled, "Well if you think I'm gonna hand over this book, you've got another thing coming. The ice will melt eventually. I just need to protect the book until then." She turned around and began to run away.

The older man shook his head and gave her back a dark look. "Too bad it's not that simple. Aisumera!"

Toshiro placed his hands on the ground. They gave off a blue glow as the ground was slowly covered with ice.

The black haired girl hadn't gotten very far before the ice caught up with her and froze her to the ground. She tried to move, but her feet were completely iced over. "What? Let me go!"

Kai suddenly appeared in front of her and sighed, "Sorry that's just how things work in this battle."

"Kazedron!"

He unleashed a blast of wind at the dark orange book. Afraid of being hit by the attack, Hime did nothing to protect the book. It burst into flames on contact.

Leon closed the sky blue book when he saw the bird's book on fire. When he closed it, the ice on the ground quickly vanished. The black haired girl gave Kai and the others a scathing look before running away.

The ice around Falco disappeared as well as he began to fade. A few seconds later and the bird was gone.

Haley grinned, "Finally she's gone. That girl was starting to piss me off. I really wanted to knock her lights out."

Her brother shook his head and chuckled, "Now, now that's not how girls should talk though I admit she was annoying me too."

Toshiro smirked, "She was annoying all of us. I would've loved to see the look on her face when Kai appeared in front of her like that."

Kai walked back over to the group with a grin on his face. "It was priceless. I totally scared the hell out of her."

After the group shared a laugh, the red haired girl turned her attention to the older mamodo. "I would've never guessed you could control ice too. Those last two spells were awesome!"

He shrugged, "I'm always full of surprises. Right, little brother?"

His younger brother shook his head. "You're definitely full of something, Nii-san."

Haley laughed when she saw Toshiro pounce his brother and start a wrestling match between them. "Aw too cute. Do you remember how I used to beat you at that when we were little, Leon?"

The older teen scratched his head. "If I remember correctly, I let you win. I couldn't stand seeing you sad when you lost, so I let you beat me on purpose."

She punched his arm playfully. "Uh huh whatever you say, tough guy. I bet I could still beat you now."

Leon rolled his eyes. "You're a black belt in karate! And you know I'd never hit you. Of course you'd win!"

The girl smiled with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Exactly."

Kai winced, "Ow! Nii-san, get off me! I'm still injured!"

The ice mamodo chuckled, "You should learn to respect your elders, Kai. I see this as perfect punishment."

"Yeah right! Let go! Haley, how about some help?"

The girl grinned, "What am I supposed to do? He's not my mamodo."

The red haired man shook his head. "Come on, Toshiro. Show your brother a little mercy. You wanna be responsible for re-treating his wounds if they re-open?"

Toshiro slowly got off his brother and brushed the dirt of his clothes. "Alright I'll leave him alone. You lucked out this time, little brother."

The wind mamodo glared at his brother as Haley helped him to his feet. Before he could retort, she chimed in. "How about we go inside and get something to eat? It's getting late."

Leon nodded, "Yeah that sounds good."

With that, the four slowly made their way back into the apartment. As they went inside, the girl asked, "So where are you guys planning on staying?"

Her brother smiled, "Isn't it obvious?"

Hazel eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically. "Oh no. You cannot stay here. There's no room! Only one person can sleep on the couch, and I doubt Kai's gonna give it up."

Kai sat down on the couch as the others remained standing. "She's right. I am not sharing a bed with anyone."

Toshiro wore a mock-hurt expression. "Aw not even with your own brother?"

"Especially not you."

Leon patted his sister's head. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out. For now, we'll just stay here. I'll look for us a place to stay tomorrow."

Haley sighed, "Alright, but I am so not sharing my bed."

* * *

**Whew a chapter of almost 7,000 words that's my longest one yet X D I hope you guys liked it ^-^ **

**I know that Falco's a lame name considering the bird looks like a hawk but that's the first thing that came to me. I'm sorry I'm really bad with names lol **

**I couldn't resist adding Haley and Kai's brothers even though it's pretty early into the story. What can I say? I guess I'm just a sucker for overprotective brothers X ) **

**I look forward to reading your reviews! ^_^**


	9. Alice's Promise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell!**

**Hey everybody! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Thanks for all the reviews! An extra thanks to Iron-Arm-V. Your review really made me laugh. I couldn't stop laughing after I read it. BetaWriter's made me laugh too X D**

**Ok this chapter is taking place on Saturday. So while the fight against Neon is going on, you'll get to see a chapter through another team's perspective. **

**Here's chapter 9 of A Battle To Remember. I hope you like it! ^_^**

* * *

Derrick turned the key in the lock and opened the door to his apartment. The high school student dropped his bag on a nearby chair as he surveyed the apartment. He stretched his arms and shouted, "I'm home, Alice! You didn't leave for the park without me did you?"

The football player was answered by a silver blur that tackled him with a hug. The girl grinned, "Welcome home, Derrick-kun! Of course not! I wouldn't leave without you. How was school?"

The black haired teen began swinging the mamodo in the air. He laughed, "I'm glad to hear it. I wouldn't wanna miss out on any of the fun. Same as usual. Practice was good, class was boring."

She giggled as she flew through the air before he put her on his shoulders. "So can we go to the park now? I really wanna go outside today. The weather's perfect for playing in the park."

Derrick smiled, "Sure thing, Alice. I'm ready when you are. You have your bear?"

Alice nodded as she hugged the stuffed animal. "Yep! We're both ready to go."

He opened the front door and headed for the stairs. "Good then we're all set."

* * *

After playing for over an hour, Derrick left Alice to sit under a large tree as he went to fetch them some ice cream to cool themselves off. The silver haired girl played with her teddy bear as she sat in the cool shade. _"I wonder what flavor Derrick-kun will buy me. I told him to surprise me since I like most of the flavors. Hmm…who's that?"_

Her thoughts wandered from the topic of ice cream when she saw a little girl on a nearby hill trying to carry a large pile of flowers in her arms. The mamodo stood up and walked over to the hill. When she was only a few feet away from the other girl, Alice asked, "Do you need any help carrying those flowers?"

The other child quickly looked up apparently startled before smiling shyly. "Yes please. I wanted to make a large bouquet for my sister, but there were so many pretty flowers I liked that I ended up picking too many."

She appeared to be around Alice's age and was about the same height as the mamodo too. The girl had long lavender colored hair with white flower berets above each ear, and matching lavender eyes. The child wore a light blue sun dress with a white ribbon tied around her waist, white sandals, and a white wide brim hat.

Alice returned the smile. "I understand. That happens to me a lot when I'm picking flowers. My name's Alice. What's yours?"

"I'm Ayame. It's nice to meet you, Alice-chan."

The silver haired mamodo picked up the flowers the other child had dropped and grabbed some of the flowers Ayame was carrying to lighten the girl's load. "It's nice to meet you too, Ayame-chan."

Once they finished separating the flowers into easier piles to carry, the two made their way to the tree Alice had been sitting under earlier. After they sat down, the girls began to sort the flowers by color before they started grouping them together in one large bouquet.

Alice grinned in triumphant after they finished the arrangement. "It looks beautiful, Ayame-chan! I know your sister will love it. Do you have something to tie the flowers together?"

The other girl nodded as she pulled out a purple ribbon from a pocket in her dress. "This is from the dress of my favorite doll. I don't have any money to buy a new ribbon. Today's my sister's birthday. She loves flowers, so I decided I would make her a bouquet since I couldn't buy her one."

The mamodo held the flowers together while the other child tied them together with the ribbon. After she finished, the silver haired girl handed over the bouquet to her new friend. "I'm sure your friend will love it, Ayame-chan. My mother always loved when I made her gifts. This bouquet is way prettier than any store bought one I've ever seen."

Ayame smiled, "Thank you, Alice-chan. You're very kind. I appreciate you helping me make the bouquet. I couldn't have done it without you."

Alice shook her head. "That's not true. I'm sure it would've been just as pretty if you made it by yourself. Besides, you did most of the work. All I did was help carry and sort the flowers."

"Hey Alice who's your new friend?"

The two girls turned to their left to see Derrick walking towards them with two ice cream cones. The mamodo ran over to her partner while dragging the other girl with her. "This is Ayame-chan. I was helping her make a flower bouquet."

The football player grinned, "Is that so? Well it's nice to meet you, Ayame. I'm Derrick."

The lavender haired girl hid part of her face behind the brim of her hat and smiled shyly. "I-It's nice to meet you, Derrick-san."

Alice eyed the ice cream cones the boy was holding with hunger. The black haired teen chuckled when he saw her begin to drool. He handed the mamodo the double scoop of chocolate and vanilla. "Here you go, Alice. I couldn't decide between getting you chocolate or vanilla, so I got you both."

The silver haired girl smiled broadly before beginning to lick her treat. "Thanks, Derrick-kun!"

Ayame longingly watched as her friend ate her cone. She blinked in surprise when she saw a chocolate ice cream cone appear in front of her. The lavender haired looked up and tilted her head in confusion at the older teen.

Derrick winked at her. "Take it. You can have it. I can always get me another one."

"A-are you sure?"

When she saw him nod, Ayame grinned and quickly began to lick the cone once she grabbed it. "Thank you very much, Derrick-san."

The football player patted the child's head. "No problem. Any friend of Alice's is a friend of mine."

Once the children were sitting under the tree with their treats, Derrick walked away to get himself one. The ice cream truck was parked on the other side of the park, but luckily it wasn't that long of a walk.

About half-way there, the black haired teen spotted a young girl in a wheelchair. She was bent over trying to move her left wheel out of the mud. The football player quickly made his way over to her. "Do you need some help?"

The girl shifted her gaze from her left wheel to the teen beside her. She had pale blue eyes and long blond hair. The blonde couldn't have been older than 13. The young teen nodded, "Yes if it's not too much trouble. No matter which way I try to move this wheel won't budge."

Derrick smiled as he grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and pushed the girl out of the mud. "It's no trouble at all. I'm always happy to help a pretty lady in distress."

The blonde blushed, "T-Thank you."

At a closer look, he noticed the girl was wearing a pink robe, light pink pajama bottoms decorated with red hearts, and pink slippers. The older teen raised an eyebrow. "You're not really dressed for playing outside. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

She began to wheel herself toward the direction he had just come from. "I'm from the hospital across the street. I'm not supposed to leave my room by myself, but since it was so crowded today I was able to sneak out."

The football player frowned, "You shouldn't be sneaking out. What if something happened to you while you were out here by yourself?"

The girl waved her hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. Besides, I wasn't planning on staying out here very long. I'm looking for my little sister. When I couldn't find her in the hospital, I figured she came over here. She likes to play over here even though I told her not to come by herself."

Derrick gave her a curious look. "Does your little sister have lavender colored hair and matching eyes?"

The blonde stopped her wheelchair and gazed at the older teen suspiciously. "Yes. How'd you know that?"

He grinned, "I just met her a little while ago. In fact, she's become really good friends with my little cousin. I could take you to her if you'd like."

She smiled, "I'd appreciate that. By the way, what's your name? I'm Sayuri."

The black haired teen grabbed the handles of the chair and began to wheel the girl toward the tree where he had left the two children. "I'm Derrick. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sayuri-chan."

"The pleasure's all mine, Derrick-kun."

* * *

After they finished their ice cream, the girls played with Alice's bear. When the two got bored doing that, they began playing hide-and-go-seek. The silver haired girl covered her eyes with her hands and faced the tree to count. When the child finished, she shouted,"Ready or not, here I come!"

Alice ran around the park searching for her friend. A few minutes had passed, and she still hadn't found the other girl. _"Wow Ayame-chan's really good at hiding. I wonder where she is." _

The mamodo was startled out of her thoughts by a scream. Her eyes widened. "Ayame-chan!" She immediately took off toward where she thought the scream had originated. A few seconds later, Alice found herself in the more wooded area of the park. There was nobody around except for a few squirrels and birds.

The girl started searching the area. "Ayame-chan! Are you alright? Where are you?"

Finally after five more minutes of searching, she saw her friend a few feet away corned by two guys. The shorter of the two stood at 4'3 and looked to be around 9 years old. The boy had light blue hair and brown eyes. He appeared to be wearing a light green blanket sleeper* decorated with yellow stars and a light green jester's hat.

The other guy was close to 5'9 and seemed to be the same age as Derrick. He had dirty blond hair and brown eyes like his partner. The teen wore an orange polo shirt with white stripes, brown shorts, and white sneakers.

Alice froze when she saw the pale green book in the older teen's hand. _"A mamodo!" _She sneakily made her way over to her friend while trying not to alert the others of her presence. _"But why are they after Ayame-chan? They have no reason to attack her. Unless, she's a mamodo too!"_

Ayame took a step back. "L-Leave me alone. I have no interest in participating in this battle. I just want to live peacefully in this world."

The blue headed boy smirked, "Sorry but just because you don't wanna fight doesn't mean you're not a part of this battle. If you want to avoid a battle just hand over your book."

She glared at the boy. "I don't have my book, and my book owner isn't here so there's no point in picking a fight."

He shrugged, "Maybe but I'm sure they'll turn up eventually. I doubt your book owner lets you stay out by yourself for too long. Eventually, they'll come looking for you, and that's when we'll get your book."

"Not while I'm around!"

The boy was surprised when a young girl jumped down from the high tree branch above them. "Who the hell are you?"

The silver haired girl ignored him and turned her attention to her friend. "Are you alright, Ayame-chan? Are you hurt? I came as fast as I could after I heard you scream."

The lavender haired girl shook her head. "I'm alright. I screamed because they surprised me. I'm sorry, Alice-chan. I shouldn't have gotten you involved in this."

Alice smiled, "It's not your fault, Ayame-chan. I would've gotten involved eventually." She winked, "There's more mamodo around here than you think."

The other girl's eyes grew large. "You're a mamodo too? I can't believe I didn't notice earlier."

The silver haired mamodo grinned, "I guess we were having too much fun before to notice."

"Hey quit ignoring us!"

The two girls moved their gazes toward the other mamodo. He scowled, "You didn't answer my question before. Who are you?"

Alice crossed her arms. "I'm Alice Silvers. You better leave Ayame-chan alone, or you'll have to answer to me."

The blue headed boy laughed, "Oh I'm really scared. As if a weakling like you could beat me."

The silver haired girl scoffed, "You sure talk big for someone who's wearing his pajamas in broad daylight."

Ayame giggled while the boy's face turned red in anger. He growled, "Shut up! I'd like to see you say that after I'm done with you. Kazuki cast a spell!"

The blonde sighed, "You really need to control that temper of yours, Jin. Getting riled up by two little girls isn't very cool."

"Shut up!"

Kazuki opened the pale green book and shouted, "Deramu!"

Jin took a deep breath and blew out dozens of red bubbles that headed straight for the girls. The two tried to find a way to escape, but there was nowhere to run. There was a tree behind them with large roots that prevented them from escaping to the left or right. The girls were trapped.

Alice moved in front of her friend and spread her arms out. "I don't care how strong your spell is. I won't let you hurt, Ayame-chan!" She closed her eyes waiting for the attack to hit her when a familiar voice yelled, "Kiroshield!"

Silver-grey eyes opened as she brought her hands upfront. A metal spiraling shield appeared in front of her right before the attack hit. When the bubbles hit the shield, it began to spin before they dissolved.

Derrick ran towards the two girls while pushing Sayuri in her wheelchair. "Alice, are you two alright?"

The silver haired girl beamed at her partner. "We're okay. I knew you'd find us, Derrick-kun."

Ayame wore a surprised look. "Onee-chan? What are you doing out here? You should be at the hospital!"

Sayuri shook her head. "How can I rest knowing you're out here by yourself? I've been worried sick looking for you. I told you not to come to the park without me."

The girl looked at her feet. "I'm sorry, Onee-chan. I wanted to give you a surprise for your birthday."

The blonde's expression softened. "You didn't have to do anything for me, Ayame. As long as I have you, I don't need anything else."

The lavender haired girl ran over and hugged her partner. "I promise I won't go off on my own anymore. I'm sorry I worried you, Onee-chan."

The football player sighed in relief when he checked and saw that Alice had no injuries. "Looks like we made it just in time. What were you two doing out here anyway? Alice, I thought I told you not to come to this part of the park by yourself."

Ayame came to her friend's rescue. "It's not Alice-chan's fault, Derrick-san. It's mine. We were playing hide-and-go-seek, and I came here to hide. That's when these guys found me."

Sayuri glared at Jin and his partner. "How could you attack these two girls like that? They didn't even have their books. They were no threat to you!"

Jin shrugged, "Doesn't matter. Mamodo should be able to fight with or without their books. It's not my fault they're weak. Now let's hurry up and get this fight over with. Do it, Kazuki!"

"Deramu!"

The blue haired boy released another blast of red bubbles at the girls and their partners. Derrick smirked, "It's time we got on the offensive. Ready, Alice?"

She nodded, "Let's do it, Derrick-kun."

"Kironu!"

Alice lifted her arms and placed her palms beside each other. Her hands gave off a silver glow before a large blast of silver energy erupted from them. The blast flew straight through the bubbles catching Jin off guard. He got knocked off his feet by the strength of the spell.

The black haired teen pumped his fist into the air. "Touch down! He'll feel that in the morning." He stopped cheering when he saw the bubbles still heading for them. "Shit! I thought Kironu got rid of those. Guys get down!"

After he grabbed his partner, the football player hit the deck barely avoiding the attack. Ayame grabbed Sayuri's wheelchair and wheeled her out of the way right before the bubbles could hit them.

Derrick's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the bubbles burst into flames as soon as they touched the tree. Luckily the flames weren't strong enough to catch the whole tree on fire instead they only left scorch marks on the bark.

Slowly he rose to his feet while still holding Alice and Ayame pushed Sayuri back to where the others stood. The older teen checked to see if any of the girls were injured. "Is everyone ok?"

Sayuri gave a shaky nod. "Yes considering I almost had a heart attack. Must they be so violent?"

The football player raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever been in a battle, Sayuri-chan? Most of them are like this."

The blonde shook her head. "No. That's why we only have one spell. I told Ayame I was willing to fight, but she didn't want to. Instead of fighting, she wants to live here peacefully, so I respected her wishes."

Ayame hid part of her face behind her hat. "I didn't want to put Onee-chan in danger. This battle is so dangerous. It's not safe for her to participate. I was honest when I said I didn't want to fight. I hate violence."

Alice grabbed her friend's hands and smiled warmly. "There's nothing wrong with that, Ayame-chan. I don't like fighting either, but in order to prevent any more wars or violence in our world I want to become king."

The lavender haired girl returned the smile. "You'll be a great king, Alice-chan. I'm sure of it."

Derrick grinned, "She sure will. She'll be the best king your world has ever seen."

His partner blushed, "I-I'll do my best."

Ayame continued to smile before a serious expression dawned her features. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, Alice-chan. When Onee-chan calls out my spell, I want you and Derrick-san to close your eyes."

The silver haired girl titled in her head curiously. "Why do we need to close our eyes?"

Before the other girl could reply, a familiar shout interrupted them. "Deraseno!" Jin opened his mouth and blew out another bubble attack though the bubbles were black instead of red.

The attack was so fast there was no time to use a defensive spell. The football player picked up Alice and ran to the left. He yelled, "Scatter!" Ayame grabbed the handles of Sayuri's wheelchair and dashed towards the right.

Unfortunately, the attack didn't end like the last one. Instead of hitting the tree, the bubbles changed direction and chased after Derrick and Alice. The black haired teen cursed as he increased his speed. "How the hell are they chasing us?"

The blue haired mamodo was back on his feet apparently unharmed from Alice's attack. He laughed, "You didn't think that weak spell of yours would actually beat me did you? Now you've pissed me off. Those are my special homing bubbles. Once they lock onto you, there's no way to escape them."

Derrick clenched his teeth before abruptly turning to face the attack. "Oh really? Then I guess we'll just have to blast them away with an attack of our own. Kirouru!"

Alice jumped down from her partner's arms and lifted her hands. A silver ball of energy with a ring around it appeared in front of her hands. She fired the atom-like ball at the bubbles causing them to detonate when they touched her attack.

While this was going on, Jin had diverted his attention over to Ayame and her partner. He smirked, "Now don't think we've forgotten about you. Read one of the weaker spells, Kazuki. We don't need to waste our stronger spells on those two."

Kazuki sighed, "You do realize one of them is in a wheelchair right? You better not be aiming for her. That's the last thing I need on my conscience."

"Don't worry I'm only aiming for her mamodo and the book. I don't care about hurting weak humans."

The blonde scratched his head. "Alright. Deruse!"

The blue headed boy released a blast of yellow bubbles from his mouth that headed towards Sayuri and Ayame. Noticing the incoming attack, the lavender haired girl took off running again while pushing her partner.

Sayuri clenched her fists on the wheelchair's armrests. "What are we gonna do, Ayame? It's gaining on us!" Her partner quickened her pace. When she realized there was no way to dodge the attack, Ayame let go of the wheelchair and turned around to face the attack. She spread out her arms in a protective manner. "I won't let you hurt Onee-chan!"

The blonde's eyes widened. "Ayame! Get out of the way!" The teen watched in horror as the child screamed when the bubbles electrocuted her once they made contact. "AYAME!"

She quickly wheeled herself over to where the fallen girl lay. Sayuri leaned over and pulled her partner into her lap. Ayame's dress was covered with scorch marks, and her hat had fallen off during the attack. "Ayame please speak to me! Are you alright?"

Ayame's eyes slowly opened and focused on her friend. The girl winced when she tried to sit up. "Are you hurt, Onee-chan?"

With tears in her eyes, the teen shook her head. "No. Thanks to you I'm fine. But why did you do something so foolish? You shouldn't have to get hurt just to protect me."

The mamodo shook her head and smiled, "It's my job to protect you, Onee-chan. It's my fault you're involved in this fight. I want to keep you safe."

Sayuri gave the girl a tender hug. "You silly child, I should be protecting you. That's what big sisters are for."

Derrick clenched his fists and glared at Jin and his partner. "How could you attack them like that? They don't even want to be a part of this battle!"

Alice tried to run over to her friend. "Ayame-chan!"

Ayame climbed out of her partner's lap and wobbly stood on her feet. When she saw her friend running towards her, the lavender haired girl raised her hand to stop her friend from advancing.

The silver haired girl gave her a confused look. "Ayame-chan?"

The injured mamodo shook her head. "Don't come any closer, Alice-chan! If you do, we'll just be an easier target for them. The only way we can beat them is if we stay separated. Don't worry I'm alright."

The football player placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "She's right, Alice. It's the best way to beat those bastards. Ayame is a strong girl. She'll be fine."

Alice nodded reluctantly. "Alright." Her eyes hardened. "Let's beat those guys, Derrick-kun. I can't forgive them for hurting Ayame-chan and attacking Sayuri-san. Those guys are beyond cruel."

Derrick smirked, "You bet. Those guys won't get away with attacking our friends."

Sayuri pulled out a lavender book from inside her robe. "Are you ready to fight, Ayame?"

The child gave her a firm nod. "Yes. I won't run away anymore."

The blonde smiled, "That's the spirit! We'll show them not to mess with us! Hicar!"

Ayame raised her arms into the air with her palms facing upwards. A large yellow orb of energy appeared right above her hands. Just as soon as it emerged the sphere exploded creating a bright light that covered the entire area.

Luckily, Alice and her book owner had already closed their eyes thanks to Ayame's previous warning, so they weren't blinded like Jin and his partner.

Alice grinned, "What a strong spell! Even with my eyes closed, I can feel the strength of it. Ayame-chan is amazing!"

The football player put a hand in front of his eyes as a reflex to keep the light out of his eyes. "Yeah it's awesome, but how are we gonna attack with our eyes closed?"

Ayame's voice caught their attention. "Don't worry since it's my spell the light doesn't affect me. I can guide you to the other team. Turn to the right and fire straight ahead!"

Derrick chuckled, "I guess it's a good thing I've already memorized our spells. This will be the perfect time to try out that new spell we learned yesterday. Giganto Kirouru!"

The silver haired girl lifted her hands into the air creating a massive ball of silver energy with rings above her. She moved her arms forward throwing the energy ball at the defenseless Jin.

The blue headed mamodo scowled as he overheard the other teams' conversation. "Damn. I have to get rid of this spell before that other girl manages to hit me. Kazuki use the third spell on that purple haired girl."

"You're lucky I know all our spells, Jin. Deraseno!"

Jin unleashed another blast of black bubbles in the direction he had last seen Ayame and her book owner. Unfortunately for the girls, the attack was right on target since that hadn't moved since the spell was cast.

Sayuri bit her lip. _"It's coming right for us! What are we supposed to do? If Ayame moves, then she'll lose her concentration and the spell won't be in effect. Once the light's gone, they'll be able to dodge Alice-chan's attack. But if we don't move, Ayame will get hurt again. I don't know what to do!"_

She looked up in surprise when her partner seemed to read her thoughts. "Don't worry, Onee-chan. I'll be fine. This is the only way I can help Alice-chan. Besides, I promised myself I wouldn't run anymore."

Tears came to the blonde's eyes as she smiled. "If you're not running away, then neither am I."

It was a race. Whose attack would hit first? Alice's or Jin's? The next few seconds would decide the winner of the battle.

Just when Alice's spell hit Jin, his spell made contact with Ayame. Simultaneously, multiple explosions went off covering the whole area in smoke as the light from the lavender haired mamodo's spell dimmed.

Jin cursed when he saw his fading body. He turned around to see his book owner unconscious with a burning pale green book at his side. "Damn! Looks like I wasn't fast enough." He shifted his gaze over to where Ayame had been standing before. As the smoke cleared, the boy smirked, "Looks like I'm not the only one who didn't make it in time." With that, the blue headed mamodo disappeared.

Derrick and Alice coughed as they waved their arms to get rid of the smoke. The teen grinned, "That'll show those bastards not to mess with us."

Alice smiled before she took off running to where Ayame and Sayuri were. "Come on, Derrick-kun! I wanna go see Ayame-chan! If it wasn't for her, we would've been in big trouble."

The two quickened their pace when they heard loud sobbing. When they followed the sound of crying, they found Sayuri with tears streaming down her face carrying a fading Ayame.

Their eyes widened. Alice ran over to her friend. "Ayame-chan!" Derrick shook his head in disbelief. "No way. How could this have happened?"

The silver haired girl grabbed her friend's hand when she offered it. She began to cry when she saw Ayame smile. "A-Ayame-chan, p-please don't go."

Tears traveled down the lavender haired girl's cheeks, but she continued to smile. "I'm sorry, Alice-chan. I was hoping I could stay in this world longer, so I can play with you some more. I really enjoyed spending today with you. It was one of the most fun days I've ever had."

Sayuri hugged the fading child closer to her body. "You can't leave. What am I supposed to do without you? You're the only family I have left. I thought I'd never be happy after my parents died. But when you came into my life, I was able to smile and laugh again. I don't wanna be all alone."

Ayame returned the hug. "You won't, Onee-chan. I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends once you're healthy enough to leave the hospital. You'll never be alone. I'll always be thinking of you." She turned her attention to Derrick whose eyes were slightly misty. "Derrick-san, would you do me a favor?"

The black haired teen nodded as he tried to blink away any tears that tried to form. "Of course, Ayame."

The lavender haired girl smiled, "Please take care of Onee-chan for me. I know I can trust you to watch over her."

Derrick kneeled down to look her in the eyes as he patted her head. "You don't even have to ask. You're both our friends. That's what friends are for."

Ayame reached out and put a hand on Alice's cheek. "Don't cry, Alice-chan. We'll see each other again. I'll come play with you when you're not too busy ruling the mamodo world."

Alice placed one of her hands on top of the one on her cheek while she tried to wipe away the tears on her face with her other hand. "When I become king, I'll always make sure to have time to play with you. I promise!"

Her friend smiled warmly. "I'm glad I got a chance to meet you and Derrick-san. Thank you for being my friend." She slowly sat up and wrapped her arms around Sayuri's neck. "Thank you for taking care of me, Onee-chan. I wish I could've been your real sister. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer. I love you."

Sayuri tightly held onto the child as if that would prevent the girl from leaving. "I should be thanking you. My days in the hospital used to be so boring before you appeared. You turned my whole world around. Thank you for everything. I love you too, Ayame."

Ayame gave the group one last smile before completely fading away. Her partner and Alice sobbed quietly while Derrick tried to keep his composure.

After a few minutes, the football player lifted his partner onto his shoulders before grabbing the handles of Sayuri's wheelchair. Without a word, he led the group outside of the wooded area.

The three traveled in silence until they began to pass the tree where Alice and Ayame had been playing under earlier. Alice tapped the teen's shoulder to get his attention. He let her down when she pointed towards the tree.

The mamodo ran over to the tree and picked up two objects. She stared at her teddy bear and the bouquet that was made not long ago. The girl thought back to right before they began to play their game.

_"Hey Ayame-chan I have an idea! Let's play hide-and-go-seek!"_

_"Great idea, Alice-chan! But what about the bouquet? We can't just leave it here."_

_"Don't worry, my teddy will watch over the flowers while we're playing. Bears are very protective of what's important to them. Nothing will happen to the bouquet while he's here." _

Alice scrubbed her eyes when they began to fill with tears while she held the objects with her other hand. Once her eyes were dry, the girl ran back to where Derrick and Sayuri were.

Derrick watched as she walked in front of Sayuri while holding a flower bouquet behind her back. The silver haired girl cleared her throat to get the blonde's attention. When the older girl looked up, Alice held out the bouquet. "This is for you. Ayame-chan would've wanted me to give it to you. She made it for your birthday. She told me how much you loved flowers."

Sayuri's eyes watered as she took the flowers from the other's hands. The bouquet was made of many different types of flowers including tulips and daisies. There were even some red roses in the arrangement. _"I bet she picked them from the rose bushes by the hospital even after the staff told her not to touch them."_ She thought fondly.

The blonde smiled softly at the bouquet before lifting her gaze to meet Alice's. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

Alice returned the smile before looking down at her feet. "I'm sorry we weren't able to save Ayame-chan. I know she was very important to you. She was to us too."

Sayuri shook his head. "Don't blame yourself. I know you tried your best and so does Ayame. If you hadn't shown up, Ayame would've been all alone when she was attacked. Thank you for all your help."

Derrick placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and squeezed. "We were happy to help. Ayame was a good kid. I only wish we could've gotten to know her better."

The younger teen buried her face into the bouquet and breathed in its sweet scent. "I think she would've liked that."

Alice shyly raised her gaze to look at Sayuri. "M-maybe you could tell us more about her when we come to visit?"

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise before she smiled broadly at the child. "I would enjoy that."

The football player began pushing her wheelchair while Alice walked beside them. "Then it's a promise. We'll try to visit you as much as we can. In return, you have to promise to listen to the doctors and not go anywhere by yourself."

Sayuri grinned, "It's a deal."

The three shared a smile as they headed to the hospital. While the two girls were chatting with each other, Derrick wore a serious expression. _"We might have lost a friend, but we've gained one as well. I won't let this happen to Alice or any of my friends. I don't care if Haley's supposed to be my enemy in this battle. She's my friend, and I'll always protect those who are important to me. Even if more of my friends become involved in this battle, I'll still do whatever I can to keep them safe."

* * *

_***If you were wondering what a blanket sleeper was, it's what Kanchome wears. I had no idea it was called that until I read it on wikipedia. I just thought he was wearing footie pajamas lol**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry Iron-Arm-V if the battle wasn't as exciting as you expected when I promised you a chapter for Alice and Derrick. I really wanted to make a chapter about them, but the fight didn't end up lasting very long. Sorry! I promise I'll try to do better with my future battles. **

**I'm really excited about the next chapter cause I'll be starting my first story arc! I've had this one idea for awhile now, so I plan on bringing it to life. I hope you'll like it : ) Thanks again for reading and reviewing! ^-^**


	10. The Mystery Begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell **

**I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter X ) Thank you so much for all your awesome reviews : ) I went back and fixed Derrick's thoughts at the end of the last chapter. Sorry if I confused anyone with my wording. Hopefully it makes more sense now haha**

**Here's chapter 10 of A Battle To Remember! I hope you guys enjoy the beginning of my first arc! ^-^**

* * *

Suzuki-sensei clapped his hands loudly to quiet the chattering in his classroom. Once the students ceased talking, the brown haired teacher sat down at his desk and pulled out a school attendance sheet. "Alright class I don't want to hear any talking unless I call out your name."

While the teacher called out the students' names one by one, Haley folded her arms and rested her head on them. _"Man I hate mornings. Why can't school start later like around lunch time?"_ She bit back a yawn. _"Kai that lucky jerk, I bet he's still fast asleep on the couch. Now that Leon and Toshiro have moved out he doesn't have to worry about sharing the couch. He makes it seem like he's lost sleep because they were there."_

True to his word, Leon had found a place to stay the next day after their fight with Hime and Falco. Unfortunately for Haley and Kai, the red haired man and his partner had moved into the apartment next door that had just been evacuated by an elderly couple who had moved to the country to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Leon even found Toshiro and himself a job as mechanics at a nearby garage. Apparently the two were very good with their hands. It was official the two brothers weren't planning on leaving their siblings alone anytime soon.

The redhead was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the teacher call out rather loudly. "Ichinose-san?" When there was no response, Suzuki-sensei simply shook his head and marked the student as absent.

Haley tilted her head. _"Hmm that's funny wasn't Ichinose absent Monday and Tuesday too? I wonder if she's sick." _The redhead's ears twitched when she heard some of the nearby girls began to gossip.

"Poor Ichinose-chan, she must be really sick."

"She's not sick, silly. I heard she ran away. She couldn't take her parents' overbearing attitudes, so she took off."

"That's stupid. I bet she's just playing hooky. We all do it sometimes."

"But I heard that her parents have gotten the police involved. They think she was kidnapped."

Suzuki-sensei hit his desk with a ruler startling the gossipers. "Ladies, enough! If you want to continue talking, you can in detention." The girls immediately shut up and looked down at their desks embarrassed.

Hazel eyes narrowed. _"Ran away? Not possible. I don't see a girl like that running away even if her parents are a pain. Being kidnapped sounds like a better bet than running away. I just hope that it's just rumors, and Ichinose is only sick."

* * *

_After the fourth bell ran, Haley made her way to the library. Her forehead was scrunched up in concentration as she swiftly moved through the crowd of students. The girl was so out of it that she didn't even notice Katsu's presence until he grabbed her shoulder. She looked at him surprised. "Oh hey Katsu what's up?"

The black haired teen gave her a worried look. "Are you alright, Anego? I've been calling out to you for some time. Ever since first period, you've been pretty zoned out. You've barely said a thing to me since then."

The redhead sighed before smiling at her friend. "I'm sorry, Katsu. I've just been thinking a lot that's all. I've got something on my mind."

The two continued to talk as they made their way to the library. Katsu scowled, "Has someone been giving you trouble? Just say the word and I'll take care of them for you."

The girl chuckled, "No, it's nothing like that. It's about what I heard in first period." When she saw his confused face, the older teen concluded he must not have overheard the girls' gossip. "I tell you about it once we get to the library. I don't want anyone to hear us."

The confused teen nodded as they arrived at the library. They opened the doors and made their way to one of the tables in the back near the windows. The table they saw was in fact the same table where Haley had met Derrick.

To her amusement and Katsu's annoyance, the mentioned teen was there fast asleep with his head on his arms. The redhead put a finger to her lips as her friend raised an eyebrow at her. She quietly tip-toed over to the sleeping football player. Once she was in front of him, Haley pulled out the biggest book she had in her bag and dropped it on the table right by the sleeping teen's head.

Derrick was jolted awake by the loud noise and almost fell out of his seat. When he saw the chuckling Haley and smirking Katsu, the football player scowled, "Ha ha very funny, Haley. What the hell was that for?"

Once she finally managed to calm down, the redhead grinned, "Aw don't be mad, Derrick. I just couldn't help myself. You shouldn't let your guard down like that."

The brown-eyed teen yawned, "You're lucky you're so cute. I can't stay mad at someone with a face as pretty as yours." The black haired teen smirked when he saw the girl blush. His smirk faded as he gazed curiously at the angry teen beside her. "Who's your friend?"

Haley smiled, "This is my friend Katsu. He just transferred to our school not too long ago. He's also a part of the mamodo battle."

Both boys' eyes widened before they pointed at the other and shouted simultaneously. "He has a mamodo?"

The redhead nodded, "Yep. Derrick Runners meet Arashi Katsu. Katsu meet Derrick."

The footballer player held out a hand to the other boy. "Nice to meet you, Katsu. I hope we can become good friends."

Katsu slapped away the other's hand and scowled, "It's 'Arashi' to you. You're lucky you're a friend of Anego's, or I would've hurt you for flirting with her like that."

Brown eyes narrowed while a cocky smirk grew on Derrick's face. "Oh? Is that so? Well it's a good thing I'm her friend then. Though I doubt I'd stop flirting with her even if I wasn't."

Unknown to Haley, a silent challenge was shared between the two boys as they glared at each other. The girl sat down in the chair in front of Derrick and sighed, "Why must I deal with such idiots? I need to start hanging out with other girls more."

The football player stopped his glaring to grin at the redhead. "Aw don't say that, Haley. I thought you loved hanging out with me."

She pulled Katsu down into the seat beside her to prevent his retort and shook her head. "Yeah right. Now if you two would stop fighting, I'll explain why I've been so scattered brained."

Derrick raised an eyebrow, but the other boy glared at the jock to keep him quiet. Once the girl knew she had the boys' attention, she cleared her throat. "The reason why I've been so spaced out is because of what I heard about Ichinose."

The football player interrupted her. "Who's Ichinose?"

Before Katsu could snap at the other boy for interrupting the redhead, she answered, "Ichinose Azumi, she's a girl in our class. She's a football cheerleader."

Realization dawned the brown-eyed boy's features. "Oh that Ichinose! I know Azumi-chan. She's very cute and a really sweet girl. Did something happen to Azumi-chan?"

Haley shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe. She hasn't been to school at all this week. The gossip I heard has gotten me worried about her."

Katsu placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine, Anego. You shouldn't pay any mind to that gossip. She's probably just sick."

The girl sighed, "I thought that at first too, but that's not the only reason why I'm so worried."

Derrick gazed at her curiously. "Ok so what's your other reason?"

She frowned, "Ichinose isn't the only girl that's been missing school in my class. Inoue Akane hasn't been at school since Monday. Another girl named Tsukimori Reiko was absent today."

The football player shook his head. "Don't you think you're being a little paranoid? I can kinda understand your suspicions about Inoue-chan since she's been missing almost two days, but Tsukimori-chan has only been absent today. She could be completely unrelated to the other two. All three of the absences could just be a coincidence."

Haley bit her lip. "I don't think so. I know it's weird to freak out since she's only missed today, and she could always be coming to school later. But the fact that it's Tsukimori of all people that's missing school has me on edge."

Both boys gave her a curious look before the brown-eyed boy asked, "What do you mean?"

The redhead scratched her head. "I know I haven't been here long, but for as long as I've been here, Tsukimori has never missed a day of school. I remember one of the girls in my class telling me Tsukimori had gotten the perfect attendance award every year since middle school. She's one of those shy types that never speak much in class, but whenever I've talked to her she was always nice to me."

Katsu's eyes narrowed. "You're right. I remember Tsukimori. She's definitely not the type who would miss school even if she was sick."

Derrick frowned, "So do you think their disappearances are all connected? I may not know all of them very well, but none of those girls have anything in common do they? I mean Azumi-chan's a cheerleader, Inoue-chan is a well-known rebel, and Tsukimori-chan is a shy recluse."

The girl looked down. "They don't. I don't think I've ever seen those girls say a word to each other. They're from completely different circles. But I can't shake this feeling that their disappearances are connected. Call it woman's intuition."

The grey-eyed teen grabbed her hands. "If you think something's going on, I believe you. I know better than to doubt your intuition, Anego."

Her eyes softened. "Thanks, Katsu." She was surprised when her left hand was pulled from younger teen's grasp by Derrick.

The football player winked, "Me too. I would never doubt such a pretty face."

Haley blushed slightly while Katsu glared at the jock. "Thanks guys. I'm sure anyone else beside Leon would probably just think I'm crazy. I'm glad I have such good friends to rely on."

The redhead grinned when she noticed the blush on the boys' cheeks. Her grin faded when she remembered the seriousness of their earlier conversation. "I wonder, do you think a mamodo could be responsible for the disappearances? I know it could be just a normal kidnapping, but what if there's more to it?"

Katsu frowned, "I guess it's possible. Some mamodo do crazy things though I don't know why one would kidnap girls."

Derrick scratched his head. "I don't know. It seems kinda weird for a mamodo to be involved in something like this."

The redhead sighed, "Yeah I know. It was just a theory. The only for sure way we'll know is if we do a little investigating."

Both boys simultaneously asked, "Investigating?"

She smirked, "Of course! How else are we gonna solve this little mystery? I say after school we do a little snooping and find out what we can. During lunch, I'll call Kai and get him to meet up with us."

The brown-eyed boy grinned, "Sounds fun but I'll have to join up with you a little later since I have football practice. Can you ask Kai to bring Alice with him when he comes? I remember her saying she was going to visit him today."

The girl nodded, "Of course. Alright while you're at practice Katsu and I will go to the girls' homes and ask their parents what they know. You and Alice can take care of asking anyone around school since you have to stay here."

The bell rang ending their discussion. After finishing with their plans, the trio headed for library door. The three nodded at each other before heading to their fifth period classes.

* * *

After Kai showed up with Alice, the group split up with Derrick and Alice staying at school and Haley and the others going to the missing girls' houses to see if something really was going on with the girls. Not too long after the three left the school, Kira appeared out of nowhere like he usually does and walked with them to Ichinose's house.

Haley got the girls' addresses from Suzuki-sensei by offering to bring their homework assignments to them. Luckily all of the girls lived near the school, so the group wouldn't have to travel around the whole city to go to the girls' houses.

Hours later, Haley's group met up with Derrick and Alice at her apartment to discuss what they had learned from the girls' parents. The six were spread out in the redhead's tiny living room. Haley along with Kai and Alice were lounging on the couch while Derrick, Katsu, and Kira sat Indian style on the floor near the couch.

A few minutes passed in silence until Derrick decided to break the ice. He scratched his head. "So were the girls sick after all?"

The older girl shook her head. "No such luck. All three of the girls are missing, and their parents have no idea what happened. It was like we feared. Ichinose went missing sometime Sunday night. Inoue disappeared Monday night while Tsukimori vanished last night."

Alice's eyes widened. "That's horrible! Those poor girls."

Katsu frowned, "The only thing we could find in common between the girls was the fact that they went missing at night. When we mentioned the other missing girls' names to the parents, they had no idea who we were talking about, so the girls obviously weren't familiar with each other."

Kai yawned, "Alright so we proved something's wrong. Why are we getting involved? This is the police's job not ours."

Haley crossed her arms. "That may be but I can't help this bad feeling I've got. There's something suspicious going on, and I wanna find out what."

The wind mamodo sighed, "You just can't stay out of trouble can you?"

The football player smirked, "I don't think that's possible for Haley. Haley-chan loves getting into trouble. I think it's cute."

Her face turned red while Katsu scowled, "Damn football idiot! Leave Anego alone!"

The brown-eyed teen continued to smirk. "And why would I do that?"

Before the angry teen could retort, Haley interrupted, "Enough! We don't have time for your bickering. We need to decide what we're gonna do about those missing girls."

For the first time since he arrived, Kira spoke up. "If the police haven't had any luck finding the girls, then how are we supposed to find them?"

Everyone went silent as they pondered over the silver haired mamodo's words. After a few minutes, the redhead snapped her fingers startling everyone out of their thoughts. "I've got it! We just need to go to the scene of the crime!"

Kai rolled his eyes. "What scene of the crime? They were kidnapped not murdered. The parents have no idea when their kids were taken. Tsukimori's parents said she disappeared on her way home from her night class. And the other parents said the other girls vanished on their way home from parties. The parties weren't even in the same area."

Derrick grinned, "But I know where one of them was! Azumi-chan's boyfriend is on the football team. He told me the last time he saw her was at that park where we fought that lightning mamodo. Apparently the park wasn't too far from her house, so she told him he didn't have to walk her all the way home since he lived on the other side of town."

Katsu sighed, "Too bad that was her fatal mistake. She'd probably still be here if he stayed with her."

The football player's face grew serious. "Yeah and he's really beating himself up about it. He blames himself for what happened. Poor guy."

Alice jumped off the couch and hugged her partner. "Don't worry, Derrick-kun. We'll help your friend. We'll save all those girls."

He patted her head and smiled, "Right. Those kidnappers won't know what hit them. No one messes with our classmates and gets away with it."

Haley grinned, "That's the spirit! Tonight we'll go investigate the park. Maybe if we're lucky we'll catch the kidnappers in the act."

The black haired mamodo shook his head. "Why the hell would they be there? I doubt they're gonna kidnap someone in the same place twice."

The redhead shrugged, "Maybe they're not very smart criminals. Besides, this is the only lead we have. We got to at least try."

"So you kids plan on going all by yourselves to a place where there might be dangerous criminals? I don't think so."

Six heads swiveled toward the source of the voice. Leon stood with his arms crossed and an amused Toshiro behind him.

Haley chuckled nervously. "Oh hey Leon, are you off work already? Time sure does fly by when you're having fun."

Her brother rolled his eyes. "You didn't think you could actually do this without me knowing did you? Come on give me a little more credit."

Kai lifted his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me. This was all her idea."

His partner hit him on the head. "You traitor!"

Toshiro smirked, "You should've just stayed quiet, little brother."

Alice's face brightened as she ran over to the two older teens. "You must be Haley and Kai's older brothers! It's nice to meet you. I'm Alice."

True to her reputation, the boys' faces immediately softened at the sight of the cute girl. Leon squatted down and patted the silver haired girl's head. "It's nice to meet you too, Alice. I'm Leon and this is my partner Toshiro."

The older mamodo gave her a nod before shifting his gaze to the other three boys in the room. "Looks like your sister is very popular with the guys, Leon."

The red haired man's head snapped up, and he looked at the other boys in the room. Luckily, Kira was able to escape over to where Haley and Kai sat because he was only a kid. Derrick and Katsu weren't so lucky. The two sweatdropped as the intimidating man walked towards them.

Knowing what was about to happen, Haley quickly intervened by placing herself between her brother and her friends. "Leave them alone, Leon. They're my friends. I won't let you kill them because of your overprotective attitude. Besides, I don't think Alice and Kira would appreciate you hurting their partners."

Leon blinked innocently. "Who said I was gonna hurt them? I only wanted to talk with them. I wanna see what kind of friends you've made while you've been here."

She rolled her eyes. "Since when do you only talk to my friends that are boys? Get real, Leon. I'm not gonna fall for that."

Derrick held up his hands in surrender. "I promise I have never done anything to your sister. I'm an older brother too, so I know better than to try anything like that." _"If he finds out about my flirting, I'm so dead!"_

Katsu bowed his head. "You can trust me, Aniki! I would never do anything to hurt or endanger Anego! I make sure no other boys mess with her at school."

The red haired man raised an eyebrow. "Aniki? Anego? What the hell is he going on about, Haley?"

Haley sighed, "He's been calling me 'Anego' ever since we became friends. Katsu was originally part of a local gang, so that's why he talks like that. Don't worry he's not a part of one anymore. In fact, his old gang's in jail thanks to Kai."

Toshiro gave his brother a curious look. "Oh really? I didn't know you were the hero type, Kai. I'm impressed."

Kai scratched his head. "It's not like I planned it. Hell I didn't even know they were in jail until Katsu told us. They were the ones who attacked me. I just defended myself. Besides, Haley took out a lot of them too. It wasn't just me."

The red haired girl sweatdropped when her brother shifted his gaze to her. _"Aw hell now he's pissed! I am so gonna kill Kai!"_ "Now Onii-chan, it's not as bad as it sounds. You see, the day I met Kai I kinda got into a bit of trouble with a gang called the White Wolves."

Leon narrowed his eyes. "What kind of trouble?"

She gulped, "It wasn't my fault! Whenever I went home from school, I had to go through their territory which they didn't like. So they would always pick a fight with me whenever they saw me. But they were really weak so I always beat them. Unfortunately that last time was different. They had tasers and more weapons which caught me off guard. Luckily, Kai came just in time and saved me."

Her brother clenched his fists. "This is exactly why I didn't want you to come here by yourself. Who knows what would've happened to you if Kai hadn't shown up!"

Haley grinned sheepishly as she went over to hug his arm. "Then it's a good thing you showed up huh Leon?"

Leon sighed, "You're lucky l can't stay mad at you."

The girl continued to grin. "I know. You just love me too much."

Toshiro coughed to get the two redheads' attention. "So what's this about catching kidnappers?"

For the next half hour, the group explained the situation to the newcomers. Once they finished, the two older brothers wore serious expressions. Leon gave his sister a curious look. "So you really think a mamodo might be involved in these kidnappings?"

Haley shrugged, "I don't know what to believe. All I know is someone is taking my classmates, and they need to be stopped."

Derrick added, "There's just something weird about these kidnappings."

Katsu scowled, "I hate to admit it, but the football idiot is right. I think there's more to these kidnappings than meets the eye."

Leon sighed, "True but you three could just be paranoid. Either way if you're planning on going to that park tonight, Toshiro and I are coming too."

The red haired girl smiled, "How'd I know you were gonna say that?"

* * *

Once it turned dark, the group of eight headed towards the park in hopes of solving their little mystery. When they arrived, everyone split up with their partners and hid in different places around the park. Over an hour had passed and no one had appeared.

Kai yawned, "See? I told you no one was gonna show up. Can we go home now? I'm tired."

Haley rolled her eyes. "You're always tired. Besides, it's only been an hour. The kidnappers might strike at a later time."

Before the mamodo could argue, the snap of a twig caught the duo's attention. They froze before they quietly surveyed their surroundings. Not far away were two figures covered in shadow. Haley and Kai held their breath hoping the strangers wouldn't find them.

Unfortunately, the newcomers seemed to know where the two hiding teens were because they were walking straight towards the redhead and her partner. As the strangers approached, Haley was able to make out most of their appearance despite the darkness.

The taller of the two was a boy in his early teens that was around 5'5. He had dark blue hair and grey eyes with silver glasses. The young teen wore a dark blue hoodie, blue jeans, and grey sneakers. The blue haired boy held a dark green book in his right hand.

The shorter figure was a young girl about the same age as her friend. She was close to 5'2 and had long dark green hair and bright yellow eyes. The green haired girl wore a black and white maid outfit along with black slippers.

Once they were only a few feet away from the bush where Haley and Kai were hiding, the young girl smiled evilly. "You two can come out now. We know you're there."

Haley and her partner slowly walked out of the bushes not once taking their eyes off the mysterious girl. Hazel eyes narrowed. "So a mamodo is involved. Are you the one kidnapping young girls?"

The other girl giggled, "Not me though I am here to stop you and your friends from meddling. I know all about how you're trying to find the girls missing from your class."

The redhead growled, "If you're not the one kidnapping them, then who is?"

The green haired teen wagged her finger. "Now why would I tell you that? It wouldn't be any fun if I just told you."

Kai sighed, "I had a feeling she'd say something like that."

Haley pulled out the silver book which gave off a bright glow when she opened it. "Looks like we'll have to use force."

The younger mamodo grinned, "Aren't you two worried about your friends? I know you're not here alone."

Sapphire and hazel eyes widened. The duo began searching the area for any signs of their friends but saw no one. The high school student scowled, "What did you do to them? You better not have hurt them!"

The yellow-eyed teen snapped her fingers. Suddenly five large snakes appeared with their tails wrapped around the others. Derrick and the other book owners were wrapped so tightly that they couldn't use their books. Their mouths were covered by the snakes' tails preventing them from talking. The mamodo kicked and squirmed trying to free themselves and their partners.

Haley noticed Alice was missing from the group but said nothing. _"Maybe Alice will be able to save the others while we distract this mamodo."_

The green haired mamodo's grin grew larger. "I'm known as Jun the ruler of snakes. Sorry but your pathetic group won't be able to stop me or my master."

Kai's eyes narrowed. _"Master?" _"What do you want?"

Jun continued to grin. "I told you. We came here to stop your meddling." Her eyes grew serious. "Permanently."

Haley glared at her. "You'll pay for attacking my friends. Kazedron!"

The wind mamodo lifted his hand and fired a blast of wind at the green haired teen. She along with her partner jumped out of the way to avoid the attack.

The younger mamodo smirked, "If that's all you got, then this will be an easy fight. Minoru, read the spell!"

The blue haired boy nodded and shouted, "Snero!"

Jun's hair began to change shape and turn into actual snakes. She pointed at Kai and his partner and ordered, "Attack!" At her command, the snakes on her head stretched and headed for the other team.

Haley's eyes grew large. "Kazerudo!"

The black haired mamodo lifted his hands and summoned a large dome of wind that surrounded them. Instead of hitting their intended targets, the snakes bounced off the shield and turned back into normal strands of hair.

Before Minoru could read another spell, Haley yelled, "Chisokumera!"

A silver aura surrounded Kai's body, and he quickly vanished. The wind mamodo surprised Jun by appearing in front of her. He unleashed a flurry of fists before the girl could react.

The green haired girl was unable to dodge most of the attacks due to the other mamodo's intense speed. Finally, she jumped backwards barely missing the blow aimed at her stomach. She shouted, "Minoru, don't just stand there! Read a spell!"

Minoru chanted, "Snareke!"

Jun's right hand turned into snake's head. When it opened its mouth, the snake unleashed a dark blast of energy at Kai. The older mamodo disappeared right before the attack hit him.

When Kai reappeared, he noticed the ground where the attack had hit begin to shrivel and turn purple. "What the hell?"

The yellow-eyed mamodo grinned, "Some snakes are very well-known for their poisons. I would be careful if I were you." She fired another blast this time aiming for Haley.

Kai swiftly grabbed his partner and avoided the attack. He scowled, "Leave her out of this. You attack my partner and you'll regret it."

Jun giggled, "Oh I'm so scared. Now how about you hand over that book. You didn't forget your friends were captured did you?"

The wind mamodo smirked, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The green haired teen scowled, "Don't give me that. If you don't want me to hurt your friends, you better hand your book over."

"Who did you say you would hurt?"

Jun quickly turned to around and saw Leon carrying a knocked out Minoru over his shoulders with everyone else safely standing behind him.

The yellow-eyed teen began to back away as she stammered, "H-how?" She turned to the side to see all five of her snakes frozen solid. "How could you have cast a spell? You shouldn't have been able to open your books!"

Derrick grinned, "You should've been paying more attention. While you did manage to capture me, you failed to catch my partner."

Alice appeared from behind the football player's legs and smiled, "It wasn't hard to help Leon-san with this book while Haley distracted you."

Haley smirked, "If you had a better relationship with your partner, he probably would've been able to warn you. I could tell there was something weird about you two. I could hear the reluctance in Minoru's voice when he casted your spells. He didn't want to be in this fight did he? Otherwise he would have said something when he noticed the snakes get frozen."

Jun glared at her unconscious partner. "That doesn't surprise me. Minoru is a complete weakling. I can't believe I got partnered with such a coward for this battle."

Katsu held out the dark green book and lit it with a lighter. "Well you won't have to work with him ever again."

Despite having lost the battle, the green haired mamodo didn't look disappointed in fact she was grinning. "Don't think this is over just yet. Unless you defeat my master, girls will continue to disappear."

Haley walked over to the fading girl and pulled the mamodo to her eye level. "Who is your master? And why is he kidnapping girls in my class?"

Jun continued to grin. "It's not just girls in your class. My master has been doing this for a while now. He likes to go from town to town snatching up girls."

The redhead growled, "Why?"

The yellow-eyed mamodo cocked her head to the side as her grin grew large and cynical. "Why to steal their souls of course why else?"

With that, Jun disappeared leaving everyone else in stunned silence.

* * *

**Now I'm sure you guys are wondering why Jun didn't go ahead and burn the others books when she captured them. Don't worry I'll explain that in the next chapter ; )**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry if the fight wasn't really exciting, but come one Jun was outnumbered. Forgeting about cute little Alice was her undoing X D**

**With a raise of hands, how many people were creeped out by this cliffhanger? Haha sorry I couldn't help myself. I know it sounds weird for a mamodo to be able to do something like that but I'll explain it later on I promise. ^_^**


	11. Troublesome Situations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell!**

**Wow I think this is the most reviews I've gotten for a chapter of this story. Thank you very much guys! You're the best reviewers ever! : ) White chocolate chip cookies for everybody! (Sorry if no one likes those if you prefer regular chocolate chip cookies I have those too lol) I just hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as you did the last one haha**

**Here's chapter 11 of A Battle To Remember! X )**

* * *

After hearing Jun's final words, the group remained motionless as the seriousness of the words sank into their minds. Finally after a few minutes, though it felt like hours to everyone else, Haley spoke up. "W-what the hell? What did she mean steal souls? Can mamodo seriously do that?"

She turned to her partner hoping that Jun was only lying but was proved otherwise by the stern expression on the wind mamodo's face. "Kai?"

Kai visibly started as if he was in a trance. When he saw the worry in the redhead's eyes, the black haired teen sighed, "I don't know, Haley. I've never heard of a mamodo capable of doing something like that. Have you, Nii-san?"

Toshiro shook his head. "No. I've heard of a lot of different mamodo that are in this battle, but not one have I heard of could steal souls. I'm as shocked as you are about this."

Alice fiddled with her hands nervously. "M-me either. I didn't think anyone could do something so horrible."

Her partner leaned down and scooped her into his arms. Derrick frowned, "I don't understand why a mamodo would want to steal human souls. I thought you guys were here just to fight to become king."

Surprising everyone, Kira joined the conversation. "Don't misunderstand. That is the only purpose we have here. For some reason though, some power-crazed mamodo is out to steal human souls as well as fight to become king."

Katsu raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What do you mean 'power-crazed', Kira? You can't possibly be saying..." The sentence was left hanging when the black haired teen saw his partner nod.

"That's exactly what I mean, Katsu. The only reason I can see for a mamodo to want to steal souls is make himself stronger in order to take out the competition."

Alice gasped, "You mean some mamodo is taking innocent lives just so he can become powerful enough to win the battle? That's terrible!"

The silver haired boy shrugged, "I could be wrong, but it's very likely that that's the reason why this is happening. I can see no other reasoning behind these acts."

Haley clenched her teeth. "So basically you're saying some weak bastard is stealing lives just so he can win a few fights? That's it. Now I'm really pissed. Kai, when we find this guy we're so gonna totally kick his ass!"

Leon laughed, "It's not very lady-like to talk like that, little sister. But I guess I'll have to forgive you for now." His eyes grew dark. "Because I completely agree with you. There's no way I'm gonna let this bastard get away with stealing innocent girls' souls like that."

The football player smirked, "Count me in! I can't wait to make the bastard pay for what he's done."

Katsu glared at the jock before turning his attention to Haley. "Don't worry, Anego! I'll make sure the bastard that's behind this gets what he deserves."

Alice pumped her fist into the air. "Me too! As a mamodo, I can't just stay back and watch as someone from my world hurts so many innocent people."

Kai yawned, "Might as well help. Otherwise I'll never get any peace."

Toshiro chuckled, "I had a feeling you'd say that, little brother. Don't sound so despondent. Think of this as another chance to save a damsel in distress like you did with your partner." He only chuckled harder when he saw the fierce glare his brother gave him.

Haley scratched her head. "So how exactly are we gonna find this guy? We kinda just got rid of our only lead."

Her brother smirked, "Not quite."

Everyone's eyes widened in realization as they shifted their attention towards the unconscious boy on Leon's shoulder. The group wore devious grins as they shared a nod. After coming to a decision, they headed back to Haley's apartment.

* * *

Minoru slowly opened his eyes and winced when he felt a slight throbbing coming from his head. _"Ow what hit me?" _He studied his surroundings and realized he was on a couch in an unknown apartment. _"W-where am I? W-where's Jun?" _His eyes widened. _"I remember now. We were in a fight. That group she captured with her snakes broke free and knocked me out. They must've burned her book after I passed out. So what am I doing here?"_

"So you're finally awake?"

The blue haired boy jumped in surprise as his head swiveled to the right to meet a pair of amused hazel eyes watching him. _"She's the girl we fought before. Does she want revenge on me for what happened to those girls?" _"I-I'm s-sorry! P-please don't hurt me!"

Haley blinked in surprise before smiling warmly. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Minoru. I can tell you're a good person. You let my brother and friends escape and burn your mamodo's book. You were probably dragged into this battle right?"

Minoru nodded, "Y-yes. I-I didn't want anyone to get hurt honest."

"Then why did you follow Jun's orders? Why didn't you just burn her book yourself or not agree to be her partner?"

The bespectacled boy nearly leaped out of his skin at the sound of Leon's voice. He turned to see seven pairs of eyes watching him. The blue haired boy moved backwards into the corner of the couch and cowered in fear.

Haley sighed when she saw the young teen began to tremble due to everyone's intense stares aimed at him. "Leon, leave him alone. Can't you see you're scaring the hell out of him? I'm sure Minoru will be willing to explain himself when he's ready, but not with you glaring at him like that."

Leon scoffed, "You're being too soft with him, Haley. This guy helped with your classmates' disappearances. Are you gonna forgive him just because he says he's sorry?"

Surprising himself as well as everyone present, Minoru interrupted, "Y-you're wrong! I-I had nothing to do with those kidnappings. I-I only helped Jun make sure no one got suspicious and interfered with her master's plans."

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "Ok say we believe you then why did you help her to begin with? If you didn't want to hurt anyone, then why did you just not agree to be her partner?"

The young teen looked down at his hands. "I-I did, but Jun threatened to hurt my parents if I didn't agree to help her. I-I didn't believe her at first, but one day when I came home from school I found my house empty. S-she had kidnapped my parents! Jun said the only way I could get them back was if I helped her. A-and now that she's gone, I'll never see them again!"

The group was left stunned as the bespectacled boy began to cry. Haley quickly gathered the sobbing teen in a hug as she tried to comfort him. She glared at her brother. "Happy now?"

Leon looked away feeling guilty as the others pondered over the boy's words.

After Derrick let her down from his shoulders, Alice ran over to the couch. She put a hand on the crying boy's shoulder. "D-don't worry, Minoru-kun. You'll see your parents again. We'll save them when we go beat the bad guy who's hurting all those innocent girls."

Minoru blinked in surprise before he began to scrub his eyes to get rid of the tears. He felt like a baby having two girls comfort him like this. Despite that, the blue haired teen couldn't help asking, "R-really?"

Haley and Alice shared a look before grinning. They answered simultaneously. "Really!"

Kai smiled at the girls' antics. _"Those two just can't stand seeing a person suffer even though that person might be an enemy. If only more people could be like those two." _He coughed to get the smiling trio's attention. "So what can you tell us about Jun's 'Master', Minoru?"

The grey-eyed boy bit his lip. "N-not much. I-I've only met her master once. He's a frightening guy. His aura was so strong I couldn't bring myself to look him in the face."

Katsu rolled his eyes. "Well can you at least tell us where the bastard is?"

Minoru shook his head. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know where he is. The one time I saw him was when he met us at a place he chose. It was a sushi bar, so he couldn't have lived there."

When he saw the bespectacled boy tremble at Katsu's scowl, Derrick intervened, "Now, now no need to get mad at the boy, Arashi. It's not his fault he doesn't know much about the guy in charge. The leader is obviously very smart in making sure his subordinates remain clueless."

The blue haired teen calmed down when he saw the reassuring smile on Derrick's face. "I-I'm really sorry I can't be any more help to you."

Alice shook her head. "That's not true, Minoru-kun! You've told us of a place where the bad man's been. Maybe if we go there we'll find a clue that'll lead us to him."

Haley nodded, "That's right so don't belittle yourself like that, Minoru. You've already been a big help to us."

Minoru smiled, "Thank you. You've been so kind to me even though I tried to help Jun burn your books. You're really good people."

Leon and Derrick scowled when they saw the two girls blush. The boy was quickly winning over the only girls of the group with his cute charm. The football player coughed to get their attention. "So where's the bar?"

* * *

After Minoru gave them directions to the sushi bar, the group, minus Leon and Toshiro, left to see if they could find any clues regarding the identity of the mysterious soul stealer. Leon and his partner stayed behind to look after Minoru since it was dangerous to leave the young teen alone. The boy was already in Leon's apartment to begin with-because that's where the group put him the night before-so Haley thought it was only right for her brother to watch over their new friend.

When they arrived, the three teens and their partners walked into the small restaurant. Before entering, Haley quickly deduced it was a family owned sushi bar seeing as how it looked like people lived in the upper part of the building. Her theory was proven right when she saw what looked like a father and son working behind the bar.

The younger man, who was probably the son, smiled when he noticed the new customers. He had short raven hair and black eyes. The teen was around 5'3 and wore a white chef outfit. "Welcome! How can I help you?"

Derrick blinked in surprise. "Yamamoto?"

The addressed teen grinned, "Derrick! Long time no see! What's up? You come here for a bite to eat?"

The football player chuckled, "Yeah I guess you could say that. I haven't eaten sushi in awhile, so how about you recommend something for me and my friends?"

Yamamoto continued to grin as he turned his attention to the group behind Derrick. "Yo! I'm Yamamoto, a classmate of Derrick's. It's nice to meet you."

Hazel eyes widened. "I know that name! You're on our school's baseball team aren't you? I don't even watch sports, and I've heard of you. You're pretty popular."

The baseball player rubbed the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly. "So you've heard of me? I didn't know I was that famous. Those rumors are a little exaggerated. There are way more awesome people on the team than me. I just have a passionate love for baseball that's all."

Haley smiled, "Looks like your modest too. It's nice to meet you, Yamamoto. I'm Haley and this-" she pointed to her partner who wore a bored stare, "is my friend Kai."

The redhead then moved her hand behind her. "And those two are Katsu and Kira. They're not a very talkative bunch."

Derrick grinned when he felt Alice tug on his pants leg. He pulled her into his arms and introduced her. "And this is Alice. She's my little cousin."

Yamamoto grinned, "It's nice to meet all of you. Have a seat, and I'll fix you one of my favorites seeing as Derrick asked me for a recommendation."

Katsu scowled, "Why did we let the football idiot order for us? Who knows what we're gonna get."

Haley shushed her friend and whispered, "I'm sure it'll be fine, Katsu. Remember, we came here to look for clues not to eat."

The grey-eyed boy nodded, "I'm sorry, Anego. You're right."

The group sat down at the bar while Yamamoto prepared their meal. So far nothing was out of the ordinary in the restaurant. Despite the lack of anything suspicious, the six continued to keep a constant vigilance as they surveyed their surroundings.

While Yamamoto was busy with the sushi, the teen called out. "Hey Trance!"

At his call, a young boy walked out of a back room. He had white hair and emerald eyes. The child looked to be around 12 and was about 4'6. The emerald-eyed boy wore a white sleeveless shirt, a blue jacket, blue jeans, and silver sneakers. Judging from the boy's wet soapy hands, he must have been washing dishes. "What's up?"

Yamamoto smiled, "We've got some customers. Dad's busy with another group of customers, so can you take care of the drinks?"

Trance grinned, "Sure thing."

The white haired boy walked to where Haley's group were sitting and smiled, "What would you like to drink?"

Haley shifted her attention to the child behind the bar and grinned, "I'll take a soda."

Trance went to fetch the drinks after everyone else ordered either water or tea.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Soda? With sushi?"

The redhead shrugged, "What? Soda goes with everything. I don't like tea, and I'm not much of a water drinker."

Alice looked at her friend wide-eyed. "Really?"

The older girl nodded, "Yep. I've been drinking soda for as long as I can remember. It's the main thing I drink."

Derrick smirked, "Considering how fit your figure is, I didn't think you drank unhealthy stuff like soda."

Haley turned red while Katsu scowled, "I thought I told you to quit flirting with Anego, you perverted bastard!"

Trance returned with the drinks before the argument could escalate. "Here are your drinks. You're food should be ready soon."

The white haired boy began placing the drinks by each of their plates. Trance froze when he noticed Kira's intense gaze aimed at him.

Icy blue eyes and emerald ones continued to stare before Kira calmly stated, "He's a mamodo."

Yamamoto, who was about to give the teens' their food, stiffened and nearly dropped the sushi. "What?"

All eyes, excluding the baseball player's, widened and stared at the surprised Trance. Similar to Yamamoto, the group shouted, "What?"

Katsu frowned, "Are you sure, Kira?"

The silver haired mamodo nodded, "Yes. But he's not the one we're looking for. I can't sense any kind of evil aura like Minoru mentioned from this mamodo."

Trance eyed the group warily. "Look I don't want any trouble. It's true I'm a mamodo, but I'd rather avoid having a fight."

Haley smiled at the boy. "Don't worry, we're not here to fight you. Actually we came here looking for another mamodo. Maybe you've seen him?"

The white haired boy relaxed when he saw the sincerity in the redhead's smile. "Well if the mamodo was in this restaurant, I probably have seen him. Do you know what he looks like?"

Derrick shook his head. "No. All we know is he has a very scary aura. But we can describe some people he was with. They were two teens, a girl and a boy. The girl had long dark green hair and wore a maid outfit. The boy had dark blue hair and wore glasses. You remember someone looking like that?"

Yamamoto placed the food down and snapped his fingers. "I remember them! Those two along with two other guys were here a couple of days ago. Trance was running an errand for me, so he didn't see them."

Alice smiled excitedly. "Really? Can you tell us what they looked like?"

The raven haired teen nodded, "The older guy was probably in his early twenties. He had short brown hair and green eyes. I think he was a biker judging from his jacket. The really odd thing was the teen with him. He was probably around 14. He had short silver hair and-get this- red eyes."

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "Red eyes? Seriously?"

Yamamoto chuckled, "Yeah they were pretty cool."

Derrick sweatdropped. _"People usually don't think red eyes are cool. Most would be freaked out about something like that."_

Deciding they should get back on topic, Haley asked, "Did you hear them say anything weird?"

The baseball player scratched his head and smiled, "Not that I can think of. They stopped talking whenever I came to give them their food. But I did hear the biker say something about a mansion after the girl and the boy with glasses left."

Alice tilted her head in confusion. "A mansion?"

Yamamoto grinned, "Yeah and after the guy said it, the kid told him to shut up. So I guess he wasn't supposed to say that."

Katsu rolled his eyes. "Oh really? You think?"

Haley wore a thoughtful expression. "I wonder if that means their base is in some mansion. If it is, where is it?"

Derrick snapped his fingers and smirked, "I think I know where. There's a rumor I heard about a mansion on the outskirts of town. It's supposed to be haunted, so no one lives there. I bet that's where the red-eyed mamodo and his partner are. Since its close by, they probably have no trouble catching those girls."

After remaining silent throughout most of the conversation, Trance asked, "What girls? Why are you guys after this particular mamodo? Did he do something wrong?"

Hazel eyes narrowed. "Wrong's an understatement. That mamodo is a total bastard. He's been kidnapping young girls and stealing their souls."

Trance's eyes widened while Yamamoto just laughed, "Stealing souls? That's a good one. You guys are funny."

Katsu scowled, "Don't laugh, you baseball idiot! Anego's telling the truth!"

Haley placed a hand on the angry teen shoulder to keep him from jumping the laughing baseball player. "Calm down, Katsu. It's alright. I don't blame him for not believing us. Stealing souls is pretty out there."

Unlike his partner, Trance seemed to believe the girl's words. "Is that mamodo really stealing girls' souls?"

Alice nodded, "We think he's doing it in order to get more power to become king. That's why we're looking for him, so we can stop him from hurting anymore girls."

Derrick turned to his fellow sports player. "We're not joking, Yamamoto. Girls really are disappearing. When we were at school today, I saw Hana-chan wasn't in class. You noticed too didn't you? She never misses school because of soccer practice."

Yamamoto stopped laughing but continued to smile though there was a serious look in his eyes. "Yeah but Mizuno could be sick."

The football player shook his head. "Nope. I called her cell to check on her and got no answer. When I called her house, her parents told me she went missing some time last night."

Before the raven haired teen could reply, Kira interrupted, "A mamodo's nearby."

Everyone froze at the silver haired boy's statement. Those who were sitting stood up and began surveying the area.

Katsu's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

Kira closed his eyes and stayed silent for a few seconds before reopening them. "Outside."

Kai yawned, "I was hoping they were just gonna leave, so we wouldn't have to fight them."

Haley hit her partner. "You knew they were there? You should have said something, you lazy jerk!"

The wind mamodo rubbed his head and winced, "It was too troublesome. Like I said, I was hoping we wouldn't have to fight them."

Alice bit her lip. "Do you think it's the red-eyed mamodo?"

Her partner patted her head. "Don't worry if it is we'll just kick his ass. That bastard won't stand a chance against us."

Haley placed her money on the bar, and the other book owners followed suit. "Thanks for the food, Yamamoto. Sorry we didn't get a chance to enjoy it. Don't worry we'll make sure that mamodo doesn't mess up your restaurant."

The group said their goodbyes before running out the door. Trance gave the group a worried look before turning to his partner. "Do you think we should help them? I'd rather not fight anyone if I don't have to, but they seemed like good people."

Yamamoto scratched his head. "I would like to, but what about the bar?"

A man, who resembled Yamamoto only older, walked up to the two. He smiled, "Go on, Yamamoto. I can take care of things here. Business is pretty slow tonight. Go help your friends."

The baseball player tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure? I don't wanna leave you with all the work."

The older man nodded, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Your friends might need your help."

Yamamoto grinned, "Thanks, dad! I'll be back soon! Come on, Trance!" The raven haired teen pulled out an orange book from a backpack under the bar and took off his chef outfit. Underneath the clothes, the baseball player wore a white shirt and dark long pants. He pulled a yellow jacket off a hanger near the door and ran outside with his mamodo trailing after him.

* * *

When the others came outside, they immediately searched the area for any sight of the mamodo Kai and Kira had sensed. Alice pointed to the left. "Over there!"

Everyone shifted their gaze to where the silver haired girl pointed. Only a few feet away was what looked to be a giant puppet. It looked like it was close to 5'11. The puppet wore what appeared to be a purple robe and a large green jester-like hat with a yellow stripe down the middle.

On its shoulder was a little girl no older than 7 years old. She had long waist length white hair and crystal blue eyes. The girl was wearing a long white dress with matching sandals. What caught everyone's attention was the monochrome colored book in the girl's lap.

A sudden chill went down Haley's spine when she looked into the little girl's emotionless eyes. _"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"_

Derrick's eyes narrowed. "Well they're not the team we were looking for, but maybe they're his subordinates?"

Before anyone could respond, the puppet mamodo took off running away from the group. The six shared a look before taking off after the runaway mamodo. Just before they left, Yamamoto ran out of the restaurant with Trance right behind him. "Hey guys what's going on?"

Instead of explaining the situation, Haley simply pointed ahead. "Follow that mamodo!"

After running for over ten minutes, the group came to a stop in front of an old abandoned warehouse. The front doors were wide open telling the others that was where the puppet mamodo and his partner had most likely disappeared to.

Alice looked at the warehouse warily. "H-how do we know they're in there?"

Kai shrugged, "We don't. Though it's a pretty good guess that they are. Where else could they have gone? We were right behind them the whole time."

Katsu frowned, "It was as if they were leading us here."

His silver haired partner nodded, "Most likely they were. They probably didn't want any witnesses."

Haley sighed, "Well that's comforting."

Derrick winked at her. "Don't worry, Haley. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Oh I feel so reassured now."

Katsu scowled, "Stop flirting with Anego, you bastard!"

Yamamoto grinned as he lifted his hands in a calming gesture. "Now, now let's not fight. We're all friends here, right?"

The ex-gang member continued to scowl as he turned his attention to the baseball player. "I don't remember becoming friends with you, you baseball idiot!"

Haley stepped in between the two teens. "Enough! Despite what you think Katsu, we are a team. If we're gonna beat that mamodo and his partner, we're gonna need to work together."

Katsu looked down apologetically. "I'm sorry, Anego."

Yamamoto continued to grin despite just being yelled at. "Well now that that's settled, how about we head inside?"

Trance placed his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Considering there are only two of them, we should have the advantage."

Alice bit her lip. "But what if it's a trap?"

Derrick grinned, "Then we'll just bust right through it! Those two can't possibly stop all eight of us!"

Kai scratched his head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Haley snapped her fingers gaining the rest of the group's attention. She smirked, "I have an idea. Everybody gather around."

The seven shared a puzzled look before surrounding the redhead. After she explained her plan, they all wore matching smirks.

Yamamoto slung an arm around the girl's shoulder in a friendly matter. "Not bad, Haley. I would've never come up with a plan like that."

Katsu scowled, "Of course you wouldn't have, you baseball idiot! Now get your hands off Anego!"

Derrick stretched his arms. "So do you think it'll work?"

Haley shrugged, "I'm not sure. I hope it does. I don't think the two will expect it."

Alice smiled, "Of course it will work! We just need to have faith in Haley's plan, Derrick-kun."

The redhead grinned, "Thanks, Alice."

Kai yawned, "Let's just hope that team doesn't have a backup plan."

After discussing their plan for a few minutes, the group separated into groups and entered the warehouse from different directions.

Haley and Katsu along with their partners entered the abandoned building through the front door. They knew they would more than likely be attacked, but that was part of their plan. Hopefully the puppet mamodo and its partner wouldn't realize that.

When the four entered, they walked into a large space completely empty except for cardboard boxes and other miscellaneous objects littered around the area. The group surveyed the entire area but found no sign of the white haired child and her mamodo.

"Zerugar!"

Four pairs of eyes widened as shuriken coming out of nowhere flew straight towards them. Katsu opened the grey book in his hands. "Miderano!"

A large silver dome with a purple outline of an eye on it appeared and surrounded the group just before the attack hit. The shuriken bounced off the shield and clattered to the floor.

Out of the shadows appeared the puppet mamodo along with its partner. The white haired girl gave the group a cold smile. "I was wondering when you would show up. Where's the rest of your group? I know there are more than just you four."

Haley ignored the question. "Who are you? And why are you helping kidnap innocent girls?"

The young girl shrugged, "Why not? I don't care about those fools. They're not as innocent as you think. If you could see them like I can, you'd probably understand. My name's Elizabeth, and this is my partner, Manettario. I already know your names, Haley Storm and Arashi Katsu as well as your mamodo's, Kai and Kira."

The group stiffened and got into a defensive position. Katsu glared at the girl. "What the hell do you want with us?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "What do you think? You've been meddling in our business. It's my job to make sure you stop."

Kai frowned, "That still doesn't explain how you knew where we were. What were you stalking us?"

The white haired child giggled, "I guess you could call it that. But enough of this, let's begin fighting shall we?"

While the group braced themselves for another attack, the young girl simply shook her head. "It's rude to leave others out when playing a game. How about we invite your friends that are sneaking around in the shadows?"

Before they could react, Elizabeth chanted, "Kurokiro!"

Small blades resembling claws shot out of Manettario's fingers. It seemed the girl wasn't done yet though because as soon as she called out that spell she added, "Greail!"

The puppet's clawed fingers extended toward a dark corner in the back of the building. A familiar voice shouted, "Kiroshield!"

A large metal spiraling shield appeared and blocked the claws. After hitting the shield, the fingers retreated back to the puppet and turned back to normal.

Derrick and Alice walked out of the shadows. He scratched his head. "Damn. How'd you know we were there?"

Elizabeth gave the two a chilling smile. "You're not as quiet as you thought, Derrick. I knew you and Alice were there from the very beginning. You shouldn't try to sneak up on people like that."

Alice unconsciously took a step back when she saw the other girl's cold smile. "W-why are you doing this?"

The white haired child grinned, "Because it's fun. Ganborei Buruk!"

The group watched wide-eyed as many Manettarios appeared and surrounded them. Elizabeth's grin grew more cynical. "Let the games begin."

Haley gaped as the puppets began to move forward. _"Aw shit."_

* * *

Leon sighed as he watched Minoru sleep on the couch. Apparently while he was working with Jun, the blue haired boy hadn't got much rest because of all the jobs she had him do. The kid hadn't gotten a good day's rest in days! "Remind me again why I'm stuck here babysitting."

Toshiro, who was sitting in a chair near the window, chuckled, "Because you can't say no to your little sister, that's why."

The redhead crossed his arms. "Right. I hate when she uses those damn puppy dog eyes on me."

The black haired teen rolled his eyes. "You caved in way too quickly, Leon. Some big bad brother you are."

Leon glared at his partner. "Shut up, Toshiro. You're just as bad as me. You can't say no to your little brother either."

The water mamodo scowled, "Watch it, Leon."

Before the argument could continue, Toshiro suddenly stiffened and narrowed his eyes as he turned to the window. "We've got company."

His partner grabbed the sky blue book that was lying on the coffee table. "A mamodo?"

The cerulean-eyed teen nodded, "Yeah there's one outside. He looking at our apartment, so he must know where we are."

Leon frowned, "But how? And why is the mamodo going after us? Unless.." Emerald eyes widened. "They must be after Minoru!"

Toshiro walked over to the door. "That's the only plausible reason I can think of. They must want to get rid of the kid, so he won't leak any important information."

The redhead followed his partner. "Well that's kinda pointless considering he doesn't know anything."

The mamodo shrugged, "I guess they don't know that. Whatever the reason they're here, we gotta take care of them."

Leon smirked, "This will be fun."

When the two arrived on the street, they saw another duo of boys standing a couple of yards away. The taller of the two appeared to be a year younger than Leon and stood at 5'9. He had spiky platinum blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. The older teen wore a blue ball cap, a zipped up black jacket, blue jeans, and silver tennis shoes. In his left hand was an amber colored book.

The shorter teen was about two years younger than Toshiro and only an inch shorter than his blond partner. He had spiky orange hair and dark blue eyes. The mamodo wore a sleeveless tank top, baggy blue jeans, and white sneakers.

The orange haired teen smirked, "I was wondering when you'd notice us. You sure took your sweet time getting down here. I was about to fall asleep from boredom."

His partner shook his head. "We've only been waiting for a few minutes, Kaji. You're so dramatic."

Kaji scowled, "Shut up, Hikaru. You may be my book owner, but I can still kick your ass."

"In your dreams."

While the two were quarreling, Leon brought out the sky blue book which began to shine brightly. "You shouldn't take your eyes off us! Mizuteron!"

Toshiro lifted his right hand and fired a blast of water at the bickering team. Hikaru and his partner stopped their fighting and turned their attention to the incoming attack. The blonde opened the amber book and yelled, "Yougan!"

Kaji, similar to Toshiro, raised his right hand but instead of water, fired a blast of what appeared to be hot molten lava. The two attacks met in the middle of the street and released a burst of steam after collision.

Immediately after the two spells hit, the mamodos took off running toward the center of the street. The book owners watched as their partners disappeared into the cloud of steam.

Finally when the air cleared, the two mamodo could be seen holding onto each other's fists preventing themselves from getting hit by their opponent. It seemed they were in a stalemate considering neither was budging.

The orange haired teen grinned, "Not bad though if this is the best you've got, then this fight will be over quickly."

Toshiro smirked, "This is only the tip of the iceberg. You're the one who should be worrying about losing."

Kaji's eyes narrowed as he pushed harder against the other mamodo's grip. "Lava versus Water. This should be an interesting fight."

As soon as the words left his lips, the two separated and jumped back to their partners. Both books gave off a bright light as the book owners called out their spells.

"Mizuteron!"

"Yougan!"

* * *

**Ah don't you just love a good cliffhanger? Just kidding please don't kill me! lol**

**We have two sets of mamodo team OCs in this chapter. Trance and Yamamoto are the awesome creations of Windraider. Elizabeth and Manettario are the wonderful creations of BetaWriter. Thanks so much for your OCs! I hope I did them justice ^-^**

**I know I said I would explain why Jun didn't burn anyone's book when she first captured them, but I ended up not doing that cause I forgot about it until I had already finished writing this chapter haha Let's just say she wanted to keep them as hostages or take them back to her master lol**

**Now I know this chapter isn't as exciting as the others since there's not much fighting, but I promise the next chapter will have much more excitement X ) I look forward to your reviews! ^_^**


	12. When Puppets Attack

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell **

**Thanks for all the reviews everybody! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter : ) Now I decided this chapter would be about Haley and the other's fight because I figured you'd be more interested in seeing that than Leon and Toshiro's battle. That'll be next chapter ; ) Now I didn't separate the flashback in this chapter so I hope no one gets confused when they see it. I put the whole thing in italics so you guys will be able to tell.**

**I hope you don't mind Iron-Arm-V but I made Alice's book powder blue. I know you said blue, but I wasn't sure what kind of blue so I just went with that color lol**

**Here's chapter 12 of A Battle To Remember ^_^**

* * *

Before the Manettarios could completely surround them, Derrick and Alice ran over to where the rest of the group was and stood back to back with the others. Silver, grey, and powder blue books were opened and gave off bright lights.

Elizabeth jumped off her mamodo's shoulder and climbed on top of a nearby crate. Once his partner was safe, Manettario joined the circle of puppets identical to him that surrounded the others.

Haley's eyes shifted from one puppet to another. "Ok so does anyone have a plan?"

Kai sighed, "You're asking this now? You seemed so sure of yourself earlier before we came in here."

The redhead glared at her partner. "I didn't know the puppet could multiply! Now, shut up and get ready to fight."

Her partner muttered, "Stupid troublesome women."

"What was that?"

Katsu smirked, "Don't worry, Anego. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm sure these puppets aren't all that tough."

Icy blue eyes narrowed. "There's something not right about these guys, Katsu."

The ex-gang member raised an eyebrow at his partner. "What do you mean, Kira?"

The silver haired boy shrugged, "I'm not sure though we'll probably find out soon."

Derrick grinned, "Well let's not keep these guys waiting. Kironu!"

Alice put her glowing hands together and fired a silver blast of energy that flew straight toward the puppets in front of her.

Elizabeth smiled coldly. "Sorry but weak spells like that won't work on us. Hedyun Urudo!"

Everyone watched wide-eyed as the Alice's spell missed its target. Instead, the air around the puppet shifted causing the attack to bounce off the puppet.

Alice took a step back in surprise. "H-how did they do that?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You're not the only ones with a defensive spell."

Kai moved closer to his partner and whispered, "Kira's right. Something is weird about those guys. I have an idea."

Haley eyed her partner curiously. "And what would that be, oh wise one?" After he explained his plan, the girl smiled, "Alright I got it." She moved over to the other book owners and whispered something in their ears.

The boys shared a look before nodding. Derrick grinned, "We got your back, Haley."

Katsu scowled, "I may not like it, but Anego needs help from both of us. So you better not mess this up, football idiot."

The football player smirked, "I wouldn't dream of it, Arashi."

Elizabeth wore a bored look. "Are you finished? I can't wait on you guys forever. Zerugar!"

The group braced themselves for the shuriken that came at them earlier, but nothing happened. Kai's eyes scanned the area before turning around. "Haley, read a spell!"

When she looked behind her, Haley saw a large blast of fire coming straight for them. "Kazerudo!" A large dome-like shield of wind appeared and surrounded the group. The attack hit the shield but was unable to pass through it.

Sapphire eyes narrowed as Kai watched the puppets shift places in the circle they made. _"I thought so."_

Derrick gaped, "What the hell? Where'd that fire come from? I thought the puppet shot shuriken not fire!"

Alice looked at the puppets nervously. "Maybe that spell gives Manettario the power to shoot different types of attacks."

Kira nodded, "That's more than likely correct. We should be wary of that spell. Who knows what else that team is capable of."

His partner smirked, "Then it's time we get on the offensive. Midareu!"

The silver haired boy faced some of the puppets as the eye outline on his shirt gave off a bright glow. A large purple beam fired from the outline and headed straight toward the puppets.

Elizabeth sighed, "Haven't we already been through this? Your attacks are no match for our defensive spell. Hedyun Urudo!" Her eyes narrowed when she saw Derrick grin.

"Then let's see how you handle two attacks. Giganto Kirouru!"

Alice lifted her hands in the air and a massive ball of silver energy with rings appeared above her. The silver haired girl turned around and threw the attack at the puppets behind them.

While Kira's attack bounced off the air around the Manettarios in front, Alice's spell on the other hand hit the puppets straight on causing a massive explosion. Everyone gaped as they watched six of the Manettarios completely disappear.

Kai smirked, "Looks like I was right. It's our turn, Haley."

Haley smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that. Chisokumera!"

The wind mamodo's body gave off a silver glow before he ran forward at top speed. The group watched as Kai dashed straight through one of the Manettarios, but he didn't stop there. The black haired mamodo turned to his right and ran through every Manettario in sight.

Elizabeth scowled, "So you figured out they're just illusions. Too bad you still don't know where the real Manettario is. Zerugar!"

Right as he came toward the last Manettario standing, the puppet lifted its hand and fired a blast of electricity at the speedy teen. Kai quickly disappeared to evade the attack and reappeared right in front of the large mamodo.

"Kazedron!"

The black haired mamodo lifted his hand and fired a blast of wind right at the puppet's chest. The attack sent Manettario flying into the wall behind it.

Derrick grinned, "Don't forget about us! Kirouru!"

Alice smiled as an atom-like ball of silver energy appeared in front of her raised hands. She lowered her hands throwing the spell at the defenseless puppet.

Katsu smirked, "How about we try that spell again, Kira? Midareu!"

Kira wore a smirk similar to his partner as he fired a purple beam at Manettario. Both spells hit the puppet at the same time creating a large explosion. Luckily, Kai managed to get away before he could get caught up in the blast.

Haley pumped her fist into the air. "Alright! There's no way it could have survived an attack like that."

Despite seeing her partner practically blow up, Elizabeth's face remained emotionless except for the chilling smile she wore. "Don't be so sure. Juanijio!"

The group watched as cardboard boxes and other objects lying around the area flew towards the remains of Manettario. Their eyes widened when they saw the puppet's remains began to float and merge with the objects. In a matter of seconds, Manettario was completely healed as if he had never been attacked.

Alice's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped in surprise. "N-no way. There's not a scratch on him."

Kai frowned, "I didn't expect that. Those two are full of surprises."

Derrick clenched his teeth. "How are we supposed to defeat them if that puppet can keep repairing himself like that?"

Elizabeth got back on her partner's shoulder when it appeared beside her. She giggled, "You can't. That's the idea. None of you are getting out of here in one piece." Her eyes grew dark. "It's time to finish this. I'm getting tired of you fools. Raja Poris Mokerido!"

Manettario lifted its right arm and revealed a cannon when the hand opened. The cannon fired a black ball which exploded into a dark cloud of gas right as it reached the others.

Alice fell to her knees and began coughing. Derrick leaned down to check on her before he too began to cough. "A-Alice, are you alright?"

Instead of responding, the silver haired girl only coughed more. Soon the whole group was on their knees gasping for air.

Katsu grimaced, "Its poison gas! We have to get out of here!"

Haley held the book close to her body. "Kai, you have to help the others. Chisokumera!"

Once again, the wind mamodo's body emitted a silver glow. Kai shook his head. "I need to get you out first. You're my partner."

The redhead slowly got back on her feet. "I-I'm fine. You help the others. I'll be right behind you."

Reluctantly, her partner nodded and grabbed the two silver haired mamodo. While he was taking Alice and Kira to safety, Haley made her way over to Katsu and Derrick who were luckily nearby. "Come on guys, Kai's taking care of your mamodo. Now we've gotta get out of here."

Both boys rose to their feet and slowly made their way with Haley to the edge of the poison gas. Right after they exited the cloud, the trio collapsed and began to cough.

Elizabeth smirked, "Not so tough now are you?"

Haley glared at the girl before checking on the others. Derrick and Katsu were at her side trying to catch their breath, and Kai and the other mamodo were laying a few feet away. The children were trembling while Kai was kneeling in front of them. She could tell by his posture that her partner had managed to breathe in some of the poison as well.

When the redhead turned her attention back to their opponents, she saw Elizabeth standing right in front of her. The white haired child grinned evilly at the weak girl. "I know all about you, Haley. You're not as tough as you let on. Deep down you're just an insecure little girl without any friends. You'll never have any friends. These guys aren't your real friends. They just feel sorry for you. That's the only reason they're nice to you."

Derrick and Katsu glared at the child too weak to actually move. When they shifted their gaze to their friend, the two saw a sad look on Haley's face. Instead of getting angry at the girl for her words, the redhead remained silent.

Derrick tried to snap his friend out of her trance. "Haley, don't listen to her. She's only saying that to upset you. Of course you're our friend. She's just trying to trick you."

Katsu scowled at Elizabeth. "You little brat! How dare you say that to Anego? Just wait until I get my hands on you!"

Cold crystal blue eyes stared at his light grey ones. After a few seconds, Elizabeth smirked, "You act so tough, but you're just a scared little boy, Katsu. No one cares about you, and you know it. The only reason you're so nice to Haley is because you wanna feel like you belong. It's not like you actually care about her."

The ex-gang member's eyes grew wide before he snarled, "Shut up! That's not true! It doesn't matter to me if no one cares about me, but don't you ever say I don't care about Anego! She's the first person to show me kindness and real respect. I won't have you say anything bad about her!"

Haley gave her friend a surprised look. "Katsu."

Elizabeth took a step back in surprise as she watched Katsu began to stand up. "That's impossible. That poison gas should render you immobile!"

Before the angry teen could grab her, Manettario picked up his partner and moved away from the three book owners.

Slowly, Haley and Derrick began to rise to their feet. Their legs were shaky, but they managed to stand upright. The redhead smiled, "Sorry about spacing out on you like that, guys. Thanks for snapping me out of it, Derrick." She turned to Katsu. "And thank you for sticking up for me, Katsu. You're a true friend. And don't you believe for a second, what that brat said. People do care about you. You're our friend even Derrick cares. Right, Derrick?"

Derrick grinned, "Of course I do. It wouldn't be the same without Katsu-chan."

Katsu glowered at the grinning jock. "Don't call me that, you bastard!"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. _"Why are they so lively? They should be barely able to move because of the poison. They're like monsters. It's time to end this fight. I've used more spells than I anticipated. I can probably only use one more." _"Sorry to ruin the fun, but it's time to burn your books."

Kai and the other mamodo quickly stumbled over to where their partners stood. Alice raised her arms. "I won't let you hurt, Derrick-kun."

Kira remained silent as he stood in front of Katsu who was glaring at Elizabeth now instead of Derrick.

The wind mamodo wore a serious expression as he guarded Haley. "We may be poisoned, but we're not out of this fight yet."

The grin on Elizabeth's face caused everyone's blood to freeze. "True but with this next spell, you'll definitely be down for the count. Pikku Rigdoron!"

Haley closed her eyes bracing herself for an attack. When nothing happened, she re-opened them to see Elizabeth still grinning while everyone else wore confused expressions.

Before the redhead could question the white haired girl, Kai turned to his right and kicked Kira. The silver haired boy was so surprised by the sudden attack that he had no time to defend. The kick was so strong that Kira was knocked against a nearby wall.

Hazel eyes widened. "Kai! What the hell did you do that for?"

Instead of responding, Kai simply shifted his attention to the shocked Alice. He tried to punch the girl, but Derrick intervened and grabbed the mamodo's fist. "What's going on, Kai? We're not the enemy! The puppet and the crazy girl are the bad guys here not us!"

The wind mamodo grabbed the football player and threw him to the side. Silver-grey eyes widened. "Derrick-kun! Kai-san, please stop this!"

Kai punched the silver haired girl and threw her over to where her partner lay. Haley grabbed her friend. "Kai, stop this! Why are you doing this?" The redhead gasped when she saw Kai's blank eyes. Instead of a brilliant sapphire, his eyes were a dull blue. "K-Kai?"

The black haired mamodo remained silent as he knocked her to the ground. Katsu growled, "You bastard!"

The grey eyed teen tried to punch Kai, but the mamodo caught his fist. Without even blinking, Kai threw Katsu against the wall like he did Kira.

Haley struggled to sit up while her partner slowly walked over to her. Realization dawned her features when she saw Elizabeth's maniacal grin. "You! What did you do to Kai?"

The white haired girl's grin grew. "So you've finally figured it out. Fine I'll tell you since you're about to be finished off anyway. That last spell gives me the power to control people. Whether it's a book owner or a mamodo, they have to do whatever I want."

The redhead glared at the child. Before the older girl could say anything, Kai appeared in front of her. The wind mamodo grabbed Haley by her collar and hoisted her into the air.

Slowly, Kai began to choke the girl. She clawed at his hands trying to free herself while her eyes pleaded with her partner.

A familiar voice shouted, "Stop right there! Sutharies!"

A large crash could be heard as the glass from the sky light on the roof shattered when two figures jumped through it. Trance flew down with Yamamoto falling right behind him. Once he saw his partner land safely, the white haired mamodo charged straight toward Elizabeth and her partner.

He pulled back the large broad sword he was carrying and swung it at two. Manettario quickly dodged the attack, but Trance continued his assault.

Yamamoto yelled, "Silfarion!"

Before Elizabeth and her partner could react, the white haired mamodo appeared in front of them and began swinging his sword with rapid speed.

The attacks were so fast Manettario had no way of dodging. Elizabeth strengthened her grip on her partner's shoulder to keep from falling off. "Kurokiro!" When nothing happened, the girl scowled. _"Damn I'm out of heart energy. The only thing we can do is retreat."_ "Manettario!"

The puppet tried to obey its book owner's command, but Trance's barrage of attacks kept him from leaving. Instead, the speed of the attacks increased causing the tall mamodo to fall back.

Even though he was smiling, there was a dark look in Yamamoto's eyes. "Time to end this, Trance! Ignaris!"

Trance stopped his assault when his sword gave off a bright glow. He grinned, "Looks like this fight is over. Sorry I usually prefer to just avoid fighting, but I can't forgive you for hurting my friends."

The white haired mamodo swung his sword down at the puppet mamodo. Manettario brought its arm up to defend, but when the sword made contact, its arm exploded sending the puppet and its partner flying back against the wall.

When the smoke cleared after the explosion, the monochrome book could be seen burning. Manettario began to fade away while Elizabeth lay at his side unconscious.

* * *

After he saw the burning book, Trance ran over to Yamamoto who was checking on Derrick and Alice. "Are they alright?"

The baseball player nodded as he helped Derrick sit up. Alice rose on her own and sat down by her partner. "Nothing too serious. They should be okay."

Derrick winced, "Yeah I'll live. What about you, Alice?"

His partner smiled, "Don't worry about me, Derrick-kun. I'm fine. Don't forget a mamodo's body is stronger than a human's."

The football player patted her head. "That's good." His eyes widened when he saw Trance. "Trance, are those wings?"

The white haired mamodo blinked while Alice gazed at him with amazed eyes. Yamamoto just smiled while Trance explained, "Yeah. I guess I forgot to show you guys before we split up. The jacket I usually wear keeps my wings from coming out."

Alice's eyes twinkled in excitement. "So those aren't from one of your spells? They're real?"

When the emerald eyed boy nodded, she grinned, "That's amazing!"

Trance blushed slightly and grinned, "Thanks! A lot of the mamodo back home would make fun of my wings because they thought they were weird looking."

Alice shook her head. "I don't think they're weird at all. I think they're very cool. I love their light blue color."

Before the white haired boy could respond, Derrick interrupted, "Hey Alice, why don't you and Trance go check on Katsu and Kira. They might need some help."

The two mamodo nodded and ran over to assist the others. After they left, the football player turned to Yamamoto. "What happened to Haley and Kai?"

Yamamoto smiled, "Don't worry about them. They seem to be alright."

Derrick turned his attention toward the mentioned two who were in the center of the room. Haley was leaning against Kai who had his arm around her shoulder to help her walk. It seemed after Trance burned Manettario's book Kai was freed from Elizabeth's control.

Haley took a step forward and stumbled. "Damn my body won't listen to me."

The wind mamodo tightened his grip to keep his partner standing. "It's probably the poison in your system. I'm surprised you haven't passed out yet."

The redhead stuck her tongue out. "I'm not gonna faint just because of a little poison. My body's way too strong for that."

Kai smirked, "I think you mean stubborn."

"I would hit you, but I'm too tired. Remind me to do that later."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure thing."

The two remained in silence before the black haired teen spoke again. "I'm sorry."

Having seen this coming, Haley only sighed, "Kai, we've already had this discussion. It wasn't your fault. You were under that brat's control. There was nothing you could've done."

Kai shook his head. "No, I should've been able to do something. While that brat controlled my body, I was stuck having to watch as I hurt all my friends. I even attacked you! I could've killed you!"

The redhead froze as she thought back to what happened to them earlier.

_Haley watched as Kai continued to squeeze her throat. She kept staring at her partner's eyes even after Trance and Yamamoto showed up. The girl couldn't look away. Her mind grew hazy due to the lack of oxygen. "Kai, please don't do this!" _

_She knew her thoughts wouldn't have an effect on her friend, but Haley couldn't stop herself from hoping that he would return to his senses. _

_The redhead blinked in surprise when she felt the grip on her throat slacken. Hazel eyes widened when she saw a flicker of sapphire appear in the other's eyes. _

_By looking at Kai's scrunched up face, Haley could tell he was trying to fight the control. Finally, the grip on her throat loosened completely, and she fell to the floor. _

_She watched as the black haired teen grabbed his head. A few seconds passed as Kai shook his head wildly before he screamed, "Get out of my head!"_

_A large tornado surrounded the mamodo. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared. When he looked up, Kai's eyes were back to being a brilliant sapphire. _

_Haley grinned, "I knew you could do it, Kai." She began to cough. Apparently her throat wasn't ready for her to talk so soon after she was nearly strangled to death._

_The wind mamodo's eyes widened when he saw his partner lying on the ground. "Haley!" Kai quickly ran over to the girl and pulled her into his arms. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I had no control over my body."_

_The redhead smiled, "It's alright. I knew you wouldn't hurt me. I believed you could fight that brat's control."_

_Kai lowered his head. "Stupid girl."_

_Haley continued to smile and said nothing when she noticed the wetness in her friend's eyes._

The girl shuddered when she remembered the blank look in her partner's eyes. Even though he had come close to killing her, Haley couldn't find it in her to be mad at Kai. She knew he would never hurt her or their friends if he could help it. "Yeah but you didn't. And that's what counts. You broke free of that brat's control before you could. It must've taken a lot of strength to fight off her control."

Kai shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know how I did it, and I'm not gonna question it. I just wish I could've done it sooner before everyone got hurt."

Haley pinched his cheek. "Quit beating yourself up over it. I already told you I forgive you, and I know the others won't hold it against you. They know it was Elizabeth's fault not yours. So stop with all the self-loathing, it's depressing and not like you. The Kai I know wouldn't let something like this get him down."

The black haired teen rubbed his cheek. When he saw the stubborn look on the girl's face, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright you win. You're right. I know it wasn't my fault. Even so, I still feel guilty about it, but I can't let this guilt consume me. I just wish I could've burned that puppet bastard's book myself."

The redhead laughed, "Maybe next time tough guy. Let's go check on the others."

* * *

After they finished talking, the duo made their way over to Yamamoto who was helping Derrick stand. When they were close enough, the football player asked, "Are you two okay?"

Haley smirked, "Of course! It'll take more than a puppet and a mind-controlling brat to beat us."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Speak for yourself." He watched as Derrick winced when he moved too quickly. "I think we should be asking if you're okay considering I threw you pretty hard. Sorry about that."

Derrick waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm not mad at you though I am pretty pissed at that kid and her mamodo."

Yamamoto smiled, "You're not the only one. Check out Katsu."

The other three shifted their gaze to where Katsu was. The four winced when they heard his loud cursing from where they stood.

Derrick made his way over to the angry teenager as fast as he body would let him. "Hey Katsu, no cussing around Alice!"

The ex-gang member scowled, "Shut up, you football idiot! And I already told you, stop calling me by my first name! I never said we were friends!"

The football player wore a mock-hurt expression. "You're so cruel, Katsu-chan. I thought we had become real close after we teamed up against that puppet."

"In your dreams, bastard!"

Trance grinned, "Are those two always this lively?"

Kira shared a look with Alice before sighing. "I guess you could say that."

Alice smiled, "Derrick-kun likes Katsu-kun. Though they won't admit it, they are friends."

Once she had made her way over to the group, Haley hit the two black haired boys on the head. "Will you two knock it off? I thought being poisoned would make you two more quiet. I guess I was wrong."

When the two began coughing, the redhead sighed, "See? All that shouting aggravated your lungs even more." When she too began to cough, the girl added, "Is there any way we can cure this?"

Trance pulled out a purple vial. "I found this in a pocket on that white haired girl's dress. I think it might be an antidote in case she ever accidentally breathed it in."

Katsu grabbed the vial. "You should've said something sooner, idiot!" He handed the vial to Haley. "Here, Anego. You should drink some of it first."

Haley shook her head. "I'm fine. You guys can drink it first or give it to Alice. The younger mamodo probably need it more than we do."

Kira took the vial from his partner's hand and handed to the redhead. "Actually, you book owners are the ones who'll need it the most. We mamodo have bodies that can create strong antibodies to fight off toxins. We were only affected in the beginning when we first inhaled the poison. We should be fine now."

The hazel-eyed girl blinked in surprise at the silver haired boy's long explanation. "Uh well if Kira says its okay then I guess its fine." She took a swig from the vial before passing it to Derrick. "I drank enough so we can split it between the three of us. Hopefully since we didn't inhale a lot of it, we should be okay."

Derrick smirked, "Already sharing drinks. I never thought we'd get this far so soon. Not that I'm complaining."

Haley faced turned red while Katsu glared at the jock. After the football player drank the antidote, the grey-eyed teen snatched the vial from the other's grasp.

Katsu scowled, "Damn perverted bastard. I should kick your ass right now for disrespecting Anego." He blushed slightly as he remembered Derrick's words after he finished what was left of the antidote.

The football player's smirk grew. "Oh? What's this? Are you blushing, Katsu-chan?"

The blush on the ex-gang member's face darkened while his scowl grew. "You bastard!"

Yamamoto laughed as he held the angry teen back. "Now, now no need to fight. Derrick was only joking."

Katsu struggled against the baseball player's hold. "Let go of me, you baseball idiot!"

Haley hit the brown-eyed jock on the head. "Quit provoking Katsu. The last thing we need is a brawl between you two."

Derrick winked, "Whatever you say, Haley."

Alice tugged on the redhead's hand making the older girl look down. "Are you feeling any better?"

The older girl smiled as she knelt down by the silver haired girl. "Yeah I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, Alice."

Kai yawned, "Can we leave now? I'm exhausted."

Derrick nodded, "Yeah I'm starting to get really tired of this place."

Katsu broke free of Yamamoto's grip and reached down to pick up the grey spell book he dropped. "I'm ready to go whenever you are, Anego."

Haley grinned, "Then let's head home."

"Actually-" The group turned their attention to Yamamoto as he spoke. "I was gonna invite you guys back to the sushi bar."

When he saw their curious looks, the baseball player smiled, "After all, you didn't get a chance to try our food." Trance added, "Yeah! We could celebrate our win."

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "By eating sushi?"

Haley shushed the grey-eyed boy before turning to Yamamoto. "We would love to. I'm sure everyone's dying to try your sushi, Yamamoto."

Alice smiled, "Yeah that's sounds great!"

Derrick lifted the girl on to his shoulders. He was still sore, but with the antidote kicking in the black haired teen could move a little easier. "To the sushi bar! I'm starving!"

Once the group made it out the door, they headed for the sushi bar. Haley halted mid-step causing the others behind her to stop. Kai eyed his partner curiously. "What's wrong?"

Her forehead was scrunched together in deep thought. Finally the redhead answered, "What about Elizabeth? We can't just leave her back there unconscious like that."

Katsu scowled, "Sure we can. That little brat deserves a lot worse than us just leaving her there."

Alice frowned, "But something could happen to her while she's there."

Derrick sighed as he put the silver haired girl down. "Wait here I'll be right back."

A few minutes later and Derrick returned with a still unconscious Elizabeth in his arms. "So what do we do with her now?"

Yamamoto scratched his head. "Well I guess we could take her with us to the sushi bar."

Trance grinned, "Maybe when she wakes up we could get her to tell us more about the red-eyed mamodo."

Haley nodded, "Yeah I guess we should do that."

The group with its new addition began walking in the direction where the sushi bar was located. Everyone stopped when they heard chuckling. They surveyed the area but saw no one.

Everybody turned to look at Derrick when they heard him shout. "Hey!" A dark blur passed by them and jumped onto a nearby telephone pole. Due to the darkness, the only feature the book owners and their mamodo could see were bright red eyes which were staring directly at them. Another thing the group noticed was that the red eyed figure was holding Elizabeth.

Haley glared at the newcomer. "You! You're the one behind all of this! Hand over the brat and come down here so I can kick your ass!"

Kai sighed, "Do you really think that's gonna work?" His eyes grew serious when his gaze moved to the mysterious figure. "What do you want from us? Revenge for beating your minions?"

The red-eyed mamodo chuckled, "Not at all. If they were weak enough to be beaten by you fools, then they're not worth putting up with." When he saw the book owners bring out their books, the stranger wagged what appeared to be a finger though it was hard to tell due to the darkness. "I wouldn't if I were you. You attack me, and you'll hurt little Elizabeth."

Derrick wore an angry expression. "You'd use a little girl as a shield?"

"Sure. I don't care what happens to this child. She failed to complete her mission."

Alice's eyes widened. "That's horrible!"

Haley clenched her fists. "Fine. That brat may deserve it after what she put us through, but it wouldn't be right to attack her just so we could hurt that red-eyed bastard."

The red-eyed mamodo grinned showing his pearly white teeth. "I'm glad you see things my way, Haley Storm. Don't worry. The time to fight me is approaching. In fact, I was planning on inviting you to my mansion."

Katsu frowned, "Sounds like a trap."

The shadow-clad figure shrugged, "Believe what you want, but if you wish to save the girls I've kidnapped I would recommend you come."

Trance gave the stranger a curious look. "I thought you stole their souls."

"I did, but there is a way to return their souls though you'd have to defeat me before I tell you how."

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "How do we know if you're telling us the truth? You could be lying to make us fall for your trap."

The red-eyed mamodo chuckled, "I guess you'll just have to trust me. Unless of course, you'd rather abandon the girls I've captured and allow me to continue kidnapping more."

Haley scowled, "Hell no! We'll come to your stupid mansion. Then we're gonna kick your ass and free all the girls you've taken!"

"How very brave of you. Maybe I'll add you to my collection after I defeat you."

Kai moved in front of his partner and glared at the mysterious mamodo. "Over my dead body."

The figure's chuckling grew louder. "That could be arranged. Well I guess it's time for me to leave. Come to the mansion tomorrow at dark. After all, haunted houses are way more fun when it's night time."

Alice took a step toward the red-eyed mamodo. "W-who are you? No one's ever heard of a mamodo who could steal souls before. Are you really fighting to become king?"

His red eyes fixated on her silver-grey ones. "Yes I do plan on becoming king. I just need these girls' souls for me to do it. My name's Orion. Remember it."

Before anyone could question him further, the mamodo named Orion disappeared with Elizabeth into the darkness.

Haley's eyes narrowed as the others remained in stunned silence. _"That guy's up to something. Katsu's right. Most likely we're heading for a trap, but I just can't leave my classmates in the hands of that bastard. Their lives depend on us. We'll just have to be able to handle whatever he throws at us."_

The redhead sighed, "Looks like Leon got the easy part of the deal only having to watch over Minoru."

* * *

**Oh the irony if only Haley knew lol**

**Now I know you guys are probably having a hard time believing Elizabeth being able to use so many spells but let's just that little girl is really strong. Honestly I hadn't planned on her using that many spells but after I finished the chapter, I couldn't take out any of the attacks she used because they were all necessary. So please forgive my absentmindedness. I promise I won't make that mistake again.**

**BetaWriter I hope you don't mind how I had Manettario use that poison gas spell. Since you didn't write how he fires it, I just made something up haha Also I have no idea if Elizabeth actually carries an antidote for that poison but it makes sense that she did just in case. Plus I wanted to make sure none of the characters died from being poisoned lol**

**I just hope I didn't make a huge mess with the poison thing. I mean I didn't have the characters inhale a lot of it, so it seemed possible that they'd still be able to move. They would just be weakened. And the whole mamodo antibodies thing, I have no idea if that's true. It just seemed like something that would make sense considering mamodo are capable of doing a lot of things so I hope you guys won't hold that against me either.**

**Wow this AN is long. Sorry about that I didn't mean for it to be like this making you guys listen (or I guess read in this case) to all my blabbering. Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter even if the parts I previously mentioned are a little confusing X )**


	13. A Fight to the Finish

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Yay! I've made it to the 40th review mark! 10 more and I'll be at 50 I'm so excited! X ) Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful reviews! Alright I got a few things to say before we can start this chapter. First, I changed the red-eyed mamodo's name to Orion cause I admit Ian wasn't a really good name for an evil guy so I hope this one's a little better. Second, to answer your question Magic Jac, Katsu doesn't exactly hate jocks he's just not very good with meeting new people. He's especially mean to Derrick because he flirts with Haley. Don't worry I'm sure Katsu will eventually warm up to them. Hopefully lol**

**I've also gone back over my past chapters and fixed some grammar mistakes. Man I didn't realize how many there were until I re-read the chapters. I apologize for that. I'll definitely try to do better with future chapters : ) Also I wanted to tell MamaLita and stevethemime that I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to using your OCs yet but I promise after this arc they'll be appearing very soon ^-^**

**Alright enough of my blabbering. Here's chapter 13 of A Battle To Remember ^_^**

* * *

When the two spells hit, they fizzled out creating another cloud of steam. Like before, both mamodo jumped into the steam and began attacking.

Each punch thrown was parried by the other fighter. Kaji broke free of Toshiro's grip and aimed a punch for the black haired mamodo's face.

Toshiro ducked and lifted his leg to knee the orange haired teen in the chin. Kaji leaned back barely dodging the blow. Before the other could move, the younger mamodo grabbed Toshiro's leg and threw him as hard as he could.

The cerulean eyed teen's face remained impassive as he flipped in the air and landed safely on his feet. Once the steam cleared, Kaji could be seen grinning. "Is that it? If it is, I gotta admit I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for more of a challenge."

Toshiro smirked, "I'm just getting started. Leon!"

His partner nodded, "Right. Mizuteron!"

Kaji scoffed as he watched the other mamodo shoot a blast of water at him. "That again? Is that the only spell you guys have?"

Instead of having his book owner read a spell to counter the attack, the orange haired teen simply moved to the side to avoid the attack. Unfortunately for Kaji, the water blast was so large it had blocked his view of the other mamodo, so when he moved, the lava mamodo failed to notice Toshiro's movement until the black haired teen had appeared right in front of him.

Toshiro grinned when he saw the surprise on the other's face. He reached forward with an open palm aiming at Kaji's face.

"Giga Mizuaisu!"

Similar to before, the cerulean eyed mamodo fired a blast of water at his opponent. Due to the close proximity of the attack, Kaji was unable to dodge. Instead, the attack hit him head on.

Dark blue eyes widened as his body began to freeze. He tried to move and break the ice, but his limbs were completely frozen. Soon enough, his whole body was encased in ice.

Toshiro took a step back to admire his handiwork and chuckled, "It always turns out like this. Everyone always assumes I only use water. You know what they said about assuming."

Leon let out a laugh before turning his attention to the other book owner. "So? You ready to hand over that book?"

Hikaru sighed, "As annoying as Kaji is, I'm sorry to say I can't let you have the book. After all, we are partners. Instead, we should probably continue the fight. The longer Kaji stays in that ice the more pissed he'll be at me for leaving him in there. Sorry but I'm gonna have to ruin that pretty little ice sculpture of yours. Youjin!"

The redhead and his partner watched wide-eyed as the ice covered Kaji began emitting steam. When they noticed that the other mamodo's skin had turned red, the two realized the ice was melting due to contact with the orange haired teen's body.

Once the steam cleared, Kaji could be seen scowling. There wasn't a single piece of ice left, and the lava mamodo was completely dry which meant the red skin must've caused any water leftover to evaporate. "What the hell took you so long, Hikaru? Did you think I liked being a popsicle?"

Hikaru shrugged, "Was I supposed to be in a hurry? Besides, I think I liked you better like that. You were definitely quieter when you were frozen."

Kaji stomped over to his partner and grabbed him by the shirt. "What was that? You got a lot of nerve, Hikaru! I could melt your face off right now if I wanted too."

The blonde waved his hand dismissively apparently unaffected by the threat and the other's hold. "Yeah yeah don't forget I'm the one with the book. You want me to go ahead and burn it? I could just hand it over to those guys right now and end my misery."

Dark blue eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

Hikaru smirked, "Try me."

While the two were arguing, Leon and Toshiro were standing to the side watching the spectacle. Leon sweatdropped, "How did these guys end up as the soul stealer's henchmen? They seem stupid not evil."

Kaji swiveled around and glared at the redhead. "Shut up! What Orion does has nothing to do with me. All I care about is fighting. He told me I could find a tough mamodo to battle if I came here, so I did."

Leon's eyes narrowed. "Orion? So that's the guy who's been stealing the girls' souls? And you mean to tell me that you don't care at all that he's stealing their souls? Their lives?"

The orange haired mamodo scratched his head. "Yeah I don't care what happens to humans. The only human I have to worry about is my partner. And since Orion usually goes only after young girls, Hikaru should be safe."

The redhead moved his gaze to the other book owner. "And what about you? You're human. Don't you care?"

Hikaru sighed, "It's not like I don't feel bad for the girls. Honestly, I do, but Orion is incredibly strong. Kaji has already challenged him to a fight and lost. Instead of burning our book, Orion offered to us a job to take care of any mamodo in the area especially ones that get too close to discovering what he's doing."

Toshiro frowned, "So you became his lapdogs after he beat you?"

Kaji scowled, "Shut up! I'm no one's lapdog! I'm only going along with his orders for now until I get strong enough to beat him. Until then, I have to keep fighting to get stronger. Now enough of this chit-chat. Hikaru, read a spell!"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Quit ordering me around. Yougaru!"

The orange haired mamodo grinned as lava shot out from the ground and surrounded his fists. "Let's see you try to grab these punches!"

Kaji ran forward and threw a punch at the other mamodo. Toshiro quickly avoided the attack and retaliated with a punch of his own. The black haired teen stopped his punch mid-way when he saw the other open his hand to catch the oncoming fist.

Toshiro jumped back to avoid contact with Kaji's fists, but the blue eyed mamodo wasn't done yet. The orange haired teen ran after the water mamodo aiming a punch at him every time the other got close enough to hit.

The cerulean eyed teen continued to dodge the fists as he tried to come up with an idea. _"I can't let him touch me with those hands. There's no telling how much damage I'll suffer if I get hit. If only there was a way to get rid of the heat, then the punches wouldn't be as hard to deal with. Wait a minute. That's it!"_

Leon nodded when he saw the hidden message in his partner's eyes when Toshiro looked at him. "We've never used the spell like this before. Hope it works. Aisumera!"

Kaji stopped his assault waiting to see what the new spell would do. Instead of Toshiro firing another attack, the black haired mamodo aimed a punch at the other mamodo's face.

The orange haired teen grabbed the other's fist and smirked, "Don't tell me you forgot about my fists already? Whatever your new spell is don't think it'll be enough to beat me."

The lava mamodo raised an eyebrow when he saw the smirk on the black haired teen's face. Dark blue eyes widened when he noticed the other wasn't screaming in pain from touching his hand. When he looked down, Kaji saw his whole fist was covered in ice. "W-what the hell? Ice? Why didn't the ice melt when it touched my fist?"

Toshiro grinned, "You shouldn't underestimate my powers. Don't think just because it's ice that it'll melt immediately after touching your lava. My attacks are stronger than you think."

Kaji growled, "Don't get cocky!" He swung his other fist at the black haired teen. "I still have my other hand!"

The older mamodo quickly grabbed the other fist with his free hand and froze it. Cerulean eyes narrowed. "You're the one who shouldn't get cocky." While still holding both of Kaji's fists, Toshiro lifted his right leg and kneed the other in the chin as hard as he could.

The black haired teen released the orange haired mamodo's hands right as he kneed the other which let the other get sent flying due to the force of the impact.

Hikaru whistled, "Impressive. The only time I've seen Kaji get hit like that was when he fought Orion. I guess Kaji found the tough battle he's been looking for."

Kaji grimaced as he rubbed his chin. "Damn I lost my temper again." He got back to his feet. "Not bad. I guess I misjudged you after all. What's your name? You probably already know mine's Kaji thanks to my partner."

Toshiro crossed his arm. "I'm Toshiro. So you ready to give up now?"

The blonde shook his head and chuckled, "Sorry but no. This fight has just begun. Hikaru, read the spell!"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "You mean that spell? Wow looks like Kaji's actually gotten serious. This should be interesting. Kazahiro!"

Cerulean and emerald eyes widened when the ground began to shake. Then suddenly large pillars of lava shot from the ground in a circle surrounding the two mamodo and separating them from their book owners.

Leon ran towards the ring of lava. "Toshiro!" He cursed when he realized there was no way to reach his friend. "Are you alright?"

The redhead relaxed when he heard his partner's calm voice. "Yeah I'm ok. Don't worry about me, Leon. This guy doesn't have his book owner with him either, so I'll be fine."

Kaji grinned, "You sound so confident. Don't think that because I'm separated from Hikaru that I can't use my spells. I just wanted to use this spell to make sure you couldn't run away."

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "Like I'd run."

The two stared at each other in silence before charging toward the other. Kaji aimed a punch at the water mamodo's chest which the older teen quickly avoided by dropping to the ground. Toshiro put all his body weight on his hands and swung his legs to knock the orange haired teen off his feet.

Kaji cursed as he fell over and immediately caught himself by using his arms. When he noticed that Toshiro was once again on his feet, the younger mamodo put his weight on his hands and lifted his legs in the air to kick Toshiro in the chest.

Caught by surprise, the black haired teen coughed as the air was knocked out of his lungs. By the time the water mamodo had caught his breath, Kaji was already back on his feet.

The orange haired mamodo smirked, "I've been waiting to find a mamodo who could fight me on par just with physical skills. Too many mamodo out there rely solely on their spells. It's pathetic. I prefer fighting like this."

Toshiro wore a similar smirk. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself so much. I admit I haven't had a good fight like this in a long time."

Each threw a punch at the other ending the conversation. After his punch was dodged, the water mamodo avoided the other's fist and retaliated by aiming a kick to the younger teen's side.

Kaji caught the leg with one arm and grinned, "Got ya now!" Dark blue eyes widened in surprise as Toshiro quickly spun and twisted his body bringing his other leg up kicking the orange haired teen in the head.

The two fell in a heap, and the black haired teen quickly moved away from the other while the younger mamodo grabbed his head in pain. "Damn I didn't see that one coming. I gotta hand it to ya, Toshiro. You're stronger than you look."

Toshiro frowned, "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

The blue eyed mamodo stood up and chuckled, "I dunno. I don't usually give compliments. Either way I think it's time we step it up. I'd rather finish this fight soon before Orion shows up to nag me about doing my job. Looks like we'll have to finish this fight with our spells after all."

Before the ice mamodo could reply, the younger teen shouted, "Now, Hikaru!"

"I was wondering when you'd ask. Youjin!"

Kaji grinned as his body turned red. With closer inspection, steam could be seen coming from his body. "You've already seen this spell once though you haven't really seen it in action. Allow me to show you."

The orange haired mamodo unleashed a flurry of punches at the other forcing Toshiro to go on the defensive. The cerulean eyed teen dodged each fist careful not to let them touch him.

Unfortunately, one punch caught him off guard which led him to raise his left hand as a reflex to stop it. When Kaji's hand came in contact with Toshiro's, the older teen yelled in pain as the other mamodo's touch burned him.

Leon's eyes widened. "Toshiro! Hang on! Giga Mizuaisu!"

Toshiro winced in pain as he lifted his free hand and fired a water blast at the younger mamodo. Kaji let go of the other's hand but was unable to avoid the attack due to the close proximity between him and the spell. Like before, his body was completely encased in ice.

The black haired teen brought his injured hand to his chest and jumped back to distance himself from the other mamodo. He checked his hand noticing the hand-shaped burn mark on his skin. It didn't look too serious, but it hurt like hell. _"Well at least I'll still be able to use it. I'd rather not become handicapped."_

Cerulean eyes watched as Kaji's skin slowly melted the ice freeing him from his prison. Before the other mamodo was completely free, Toshiro turned to the wall of lava that was separating him from his partner. _"I've gotta get out of here. The longer I stay in this enclosed space the worse off I am."_ "Hey Leon I need some help here! Give me a spell to get out of here. This guy won't stay a popsicle for long!"

Leon nodded even though he knew his partner couldn't see it. "You got it. Giga Mizuaisu!"

Toshiro raised his uninjured hand and fired another blast of water at the pillar of lava in front of him. As soon as the lava froze, the water mamodo kicked the frozen pillar and jumped through before more lava could sprout from the ground.

His partner ran over to him and checked for any injuries. Emerald eyes narrowed when he saw Toshiro's injured hand. "No wonder you yelled. That had to hurt. You alright?"

The black haired teen sighed, "Yeah I'm fine. Hurts like hell but I'll live. Though I don't know if I'll be able to fight much longer with only one hand."

Before Leon could reply, Kaji jumped through the ring of lava and landed by his partner. He smirked, "What? Didn't think I'd get trapped in my own spell did ya? I've trained my body to withstand extreme heat including how to master my spells, so they won't cause me any harm."

Hikaru yawned, "Will you quit your bragging and end this already? I actually want to get some sleep tonight."

The orange haired mamodo scowled, "Fine. Then go ahead and use our last spell. It's about time we finished this anyway."

"Alright whatever you say. Dion Kazahebi!"

Once again the ground shook as Kaji spread his arms out wide. Leon and his partner watched as a large snake made out of lava shot through the ground and charged straight towards them.

The redhead was prepared to read a spell, but Toshiro quickly grabbed his partner with his uninjured hand and began to run. "What the hell, Toshiro? We can't just outrun a spell like that!"

The black haired mamodo continued to run while dragging his partner along with him. "We'll have to. There's no way I can stop a spell that large one-handed with the spells we have. The only choice we have is to dodge it and attack them while their guard is down."

Leon looked over his shoulder and noticed the snake was gaining on them. He quickly stashed the sky blue book in the dark brown jacket he happened to put on before coming outside. _"Good thing I decided to put this on or I wouldn't have anything to hide the book in." _"Toshiro, it's gaining on us!"

Toshiro cursed as he increased his speed not once letting go of his book owner, so they wouldn't get separated. Finally, the cerulean eyed teen came to a stop and pushed his partner behind him. "Keep running! I'll just have to take the attack head on. Instead of wasting your heart energy, you need to get far enough away to prevent the book from getting burned."

The redhead shook his head. "Are you crazy? You're my partner. I'm not leaving you behind. Screw saving heart energy. I'm not going anywhere."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the younger teen couldn't help but chuckle. "There's that famous Storm family stubbornness. And you say you're not like your sister."

Leon grinned, "I'm not. She's way more stubborn than me." His face turned serious. "So what's the plan?"

Toshiro shrugged, "There isn't one. We'll just have to wing it. Don't complain if you get hurt. Remember I tried to get you to leave."

The older teen rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah whatever."

Right as the large lava snake approached the two with its mouth wide open showing off its fangs made of lava, Leon brought out the book and prepared to call out their defensive spell. Instead, emerald eyes widened in surprise when the sky blue book gave off a bright light. "N-no way."

The redhead flipped the page and noticed a new spell appear. When he saw that the snake was about to hit them, Leon read out the spell hoping it would be what they needed. "Gigano Misuryu!"

Toshiro lifted both of his hands ignoring the pain from the injured one and summoned a large dragon made of water and ice. The dragon roared as it crashed into the lava snake. The two spells battled trying to overpower the other.

Both Toshiro and Kaji had their faces scrunched in concentration as their spells fought. Finally, Toshiro took a step forward and focused all of his remaining energy into his spell.

Soon, the dragon gained dominance over the snake and clamped its jaws on the snake's body destroying it. The explosion caused by the spells destruction knocked Kaji along with his partner to the ground. With a final roar, the dragon disappeared while fragments of lava scattered around the area.

Unfortunately for Kaji, while Hikaru was recovering his bearings, his partner failed to notice when one of the lava fragments hit the amber colored book setting it on fire.

When he saw his body begin to fade, Kaji cursed, "Damn. I didn't expect it to end like this. I was hoping I get to fight Orion again before I got sent back to the mamodo world."

Hikaru scratched his head. "Sorry about that. I should've guarded the book better."

The orange haired teen shrugged, "No big deal. At least I got to have a good fight in the end. Thanks for sticking around, Hikaru."

His partner raised an eyebrow. "When you're about to leave, you decide to be nice to me? You have horrible timing. Oh well I guess I shouldn't complain. I didn't think I'd ever hear something like that coming from you."

Kaji smiled, "Yet you stuck around this whole time."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "What else was I supposed to do? I knew you'd just bug me until I helped. Besides, I admit it was fun. I guess I should be thanking you for the entertainment. There was definitely not a dull moment with you around."

The mamodo grinned, "Of course! Everything is exciting as long as I'm around."His face turned serious when he added in a low tone. "I'm sorry I wasn't able save her." Instead of waiting to hear his partner's reply, he turned his attention to Toshiro who happened to be watching them. "Well I guess you're the winner of this round. Don't think this is the last you'll see of me, Toshiro. I'll definitely come looking for a rematch back in the mamodo world."

Toshiro smirked, "Bring it on. I'll just kick your ass there too."

Kaji chuckled before his face became serious. "You better be careful if you plan on fighting Orion. That guy is really strong. Don't think he'll be just like every other mamodo you've fought. You underestimate him, and you're as good as dead."

Leon wanted to question the younger mamodo more, but after his warning, Kaji had disappeared and returned to the mamodo world. Hikaru got back to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Well I guess I should go. No reason to stick around here."

Before the blonde could get very far, the older teen had grabbed his shoulder preventing him from leaving. "Not so fast. Tell us all you know about this Orion guy."

Hikaru stayed silent as he pondered his choices. He could tell he didn't have a chance of getting away by the strong grip the redhead had on him. Finally, the blue eyed teen sighed, "Alright. What do you wanna know? I won't tell you everything because I'll probably get in trouble with Orion if I did."

Leon nodded, "Fine. Just tell us where he lives and about the girls he kidnapped."

The blonde scratched his head. "He lives in the haunted mansion outside of town. Trust me it's not hard to miss. I'm not sure if he's taken any girls tonight, but right now he only has four girls held captive. We just came to this town last weekend."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Why the move? Where was he before here?"

Hikaru played with the zipper of his jacket not looking at the other two teens. "I forgot the name of the town, but it was a small place about half an hour from here. He moves from town to town to avoid suspicion. So after he kidnaps between five to ten girls, he moves to the next place to find more."

Leon clenched his teeth as he tried to rein in his anger. "And you just went along with it like a good soldier. You're pathetic."

For the first time since they met him, the blonde actually showed real anger as he glared at the older teen. "I couldn't help it! I had to do what he said, and not just because Kaji wanted to fight that guy."

Toshiro eyed the boy curiously. "If it wasn't because of your mamodo, then why did you help Orion?"

Hikaru clenched his fists and teeth as he closed his eyes. "Because Orion said he would hurt my little sister if I didn't do as he said."

Leon took a step back as if he'd been sucker punched. "W-what?"

Finally, the younger teen looked up and stared into the redhead's eyes. "My little sister, Kari, was taken by Orion weeks ago when he showed up in my town. He promised not to steal her soul as long as I worked for him."

After regaining his bearings, the emerald eyed teen asked, "Why didn't you just ask for help? Did you really think Orion would keep his end of the deal?"

Hikaru shook his head. "Yeah right like anybody would believe me if I told them some guy was threatening to steal my sister's soul. They would just think I'm crazy. Besides, what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't risk putting Kari in more danger."

Toshiro frowned, "You do realize you put other girls at risk by doing what Orion said to help your sister, right?"

The blonde glared at the mamodo. "Of course I did! Don't you think I felt bad about it? I didn't have a choice! It was either them or Kari. You both have little siblings right? I heard from Orion when he told us about you guys. Would you honestly risk their lives like that?"

Leon and his partner went quiet too stunned to come up with a reply. The three remained in silence before the redhead finally said, "You're right. If someone had kidnapped Haley, I would've done anything I could to save her."

The black haired mamodo nodded, "Me as well. I could never let harm come to Kai if I could help it. Though instead of listening to Orion, I would've challenged him and kept fighting until I had my brother back."

Hikaru glanced down at his feet. "I tried. Honestly, I did. But Orion was way too strong to beat. That was the real reason why Kaji picked a fight with the guy. He tried to sound all brave and macho earlier, but the only reason he fought Orion was because he really wanted to save Kari. She was one of the first people to be nice to him. He told me back in the mamodo world how he was always getting into fights because mamodo made fun of his hair. Kari actually told him she liked his hair. She's a good kid."

The blonde was startled out of his memories by a strong hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, Hikaru saw Leon smiling at him. "We'll get your sister back for you, Hikaru. When we go save the other girls, we'll save her too."

Blue eyes widened. "R-really? You'd do that for me? Even after we attacked you?"

Toshiro shrugged, "You had your reasons for fighting. We don't blame you. If you had only told us earlier, we could have avoided burning your mamodo's book."

Hikaru chuckled, "Nah Kaji was all about having a good fight. He would've been pissed at me for sure if I said anything. He hates being pitied which is probably why he didn't mention Kari when he was fading away. Though by the way he was warning you, I'm sure he was hoping you'd be able to save her."

Leon nodded, "Don't worry. We won't let Kaji's warning go to waste. We'll save your sister and all the other girls that bastard kidnapped."

The blonde smiled, "Thank you. Really I mean it. After she was taken, I thought I'd never get to see her again. She's all I have left. My parents died in a car crash about a year ago. I've been taking care of her ever since. She's only fifteen."

Deciding it was best to head back inside instead of standing in the middle of the street, Leon grabbed Hikaru's arm and began leading the younger teen to his apartment. "Well seeing as you're not with Orion anymore, you might as well stay with us until we save your sister."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I could always look for a hotel or something."

The redhead waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. We already have Minoru staying with us. One more wouldn't hurt."

The blonde grinned, "I forgot you had Minoru with you. I remember Orion saying something about us needing to check to see if the kid said anything important. I'm guessing he didn't considering you've been asking me so many questions."

Toshiro shook his head. "That poor kid didn't know anything. The only thing he told us was where he once met Orion in a sushi bar. He couldn't even tell us what Orion looked like because he was so afraid of looking at the bastard."

Hikaru laughed, "That sounds like Minoru. Poor kid wasn't really cut out for this. I remember how his mamodo bullied him every time I saw them. I felt bad for him. How's he doing?"

Leon smiled, "Much better. He was sleeping when we left. Apparently, he didn't get much sleep while he was with Jun."

Once they got to the door of Leon's apartment, the redhead pulled out a key and opened the door. When the trio got inside, they saw Minoru huddled into a corner of the couch with a blanket over his head. The child's eyes widened when he saw the three come in. "Y-you're alright! I-I was s-so worried! I-I woke up w-when I heard f-fighting outside. I-I was afraid J-Jun's master had s-shown up."

The trio walked up to the trembling boy, and Leon sat on the other end of the couch while Hikaru sat on the floor nearby. The redhead reached over and put a comforting hand on the bespectacled teen's shoulder. "Sorry if we worried you, Minoru. We're alright. It wasn't Jun's master that showed up. It was this guy and his mamodo who we fought." He pointed at Hikaru who waved at the boy.

Minoru's eyes widened. "H-Hikaru-san? Y-you fought L-Leon-san and T-Toshiro-san?"

Hikaru nodded, "Yep. Don't worry. I'm not working for Orion anymore. These guys promised to help save my sister, so I'm officially done taking orders from Orion."

The blue haired teen tilted his head in confusion. "O-Orion? I-Is that the name of J-Jun's master?"

Toshiro, who had left to get bandages for his hand, came back into the room just in time to hear the bespectacled boy's question. "Yes. That's what Hikaru and his mamodo told us. We have no reason to doubt them."

Hikaru grinned, "I'm glad you have such faith in me, Toshiro."

Leon rolled his eyes. "Just don't blow it." His face grew serious. "Now how about you tell us what you know about Orion's powers?"

The grin on the orange haired teen's face vanished and was replaced with a frown. "I can't tell you much. That fight we had against him went by so fast. He didn't even use a spell."

Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise. Leon was the first one to speak. "What do you mean? You're telling me Orion beat someone like Kaji without using a single spell?"

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "I know personally how strong Kaji is. His physical strength is quite impressive. I admit I had trouble dealing with him fighting like that. For someone of his strength to be defeated like that. Did you use any spells?"

Hikaru looked down. "Yeah. At first, Kaji didn't want me too, but considering Kari's life was at stake, he agreed to fight with his spells. None of them worked."

Leon shook his head. "How is that possible? Where'd he get that kind of power?"

The blonde clenched his fists. "It was because of those souls he stole."

Minoru's brow knitted in confusion. "W-what do you mean?"

The trio jumped in surprise when Hikaru slammed his fists on the floor. "He's absorbs the souls! There's this weird bracelet he wears that lets him contain the souls he takes. By using those souls, he can increase his power. He took down Kaji in five minutes. Even when he got up and used a spell, Orion always got past it and knocked Kaji back down. It's like he's invincible!"

The room became silent as the heavy atmosphere weighed on the teens' shoulders. Finally, after what seemed like hours when it was only a few minutes, Leon spoke up.

The redhead wore a serious expression. "He's not invincible. As long as he has a book, there's a way to take him down. We will defeat him no matter what he does. That Orion bastard isn't gonna get away with what he's done. Right, Toshiro?"

His partner smirked, "I couldn't have said it better myself, Leon."

* * *

**First off, I wanna apologize for the lame ending. I really couldn't think of a better place to end it without things dragging on so I just left it there. This chapter is shorter than usual but I couldn't think of anything to add on, so I hope you guys don't mind : ) Next chapter, things really start heating up as our guys head into enemy territory. If anyone has any bad guy mamodo let me know and I'll be sure to use them. Can't have too many bad guys X )**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^_^**


	14. Orion's Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't believe how close this story is to having 50 reviews. With luck, we'll reach that mark with this chapter X ) Now we're getting closer to final battle. This chapter will be about our group arriving at the mansion, so I apologize for the lack of action. Good news is next chapter we can start with some battles : )**

**Here's chapter 14 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**

* * *

In a dark unknown room, a familiar red-eyed figure could be seen sitting in a large golden throne. At his side there stood a tall man with short brown hair and green eyes. The man was wearing a black biker jacket, a grey t-shirt underneath, dark jeans, and black boots.

Despite the lack of lighting, it was easier to get a better look at Orion compared to when he first met Haley and the others. Like Yamamoto described, the mamodo had short silver hair along with pale skin. He wore a white long sleeved dress shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes. On his right wrist there was a white beaded bracelet that gave off a light glow.

Orion put his right elbow on the throne's arm and rested his head on his hand. He gave his partner a bored look. "Is everything ready for our guests, Tatsuya?"

His partner nodded, "Oh yeah. The others seem to be very excited about having guests."

The mamodo smirked, "I imagine they are. After all, this is a first. I never imagined we'd meet so many mamodo in one town. We're truly fortunate. One of the book owners is a young girl like the others. After we burn her mamodo's book, we should add her to our collection."

Tatsuya grinned, "Oh really? If you've taken an interest in her, then I can't wait to meet her. You always pick the really cute girls. I'm glad you don't bother taking guys. Girls are way more fun."

Orion scoffed, "Of course. Why would I need to take boys' souls when I can take beautiful girls' souls instead? Girls' souls are way more delicious than boys'."

The brown haired man shrugged, "Whatever you say, Orion. Like I said, I'm not complaining. There's nothing wrong with having a little eye candy around the place. But why are you bringing them here? Wouldn't it have been easier to beat them after their fight with Elizabeth?"

The silver haired mamodo wagged his finger. "Now where's the fun in that? This way we can at least enjoy ourselves a little bit. Who knows maybe we'll actually use a spell this time."

Tatsuya laughed, "You think so? Now I'm really excited. I hope these guys meet your expectations, Orion."

Orion grinned, "Don't worry, I'm sure they will."

* * *

Haley bit back a yawn as Suzuki-sensei began his lessons on World War II. After eating at Yamamoto's sushi bar, the team didn't get home until late last night. The group had said their goodbyes outside of the apartment complex where Haley lived before going to their own homes.

Before going to bed, Haley and Kai had gone over to their brothers' apartment to check on Minoru. They didn't expect to see a stranger in the apartment. Leon had quickly explained what had happened after their group had left. Haley was livid after she heard how Hikaru's sister was kidnapped to force Hikaru to fight for Orion.

The red haired girl immediately agreed to help save Kari when they went to Orion's mansion. She also told her brother about fighting Elizabeth and meeting Orion which shocked Leon and his partner.

About half an hour had passed while the redheads and their partners discussed what would be the best plan of action. After he saw how late it was, Leon had decided they would talk more about what they would do after Haley came home from school.

"Storm-san?"

Haley snapped back to reality and quickly answered with a 'Here' before she could get in trouble with the teacher. The redhead glanced to the side and saw Katsu giving her a worried look. The girl smiled to show her friend she was fine.

Once she saw him look away, Haley became lost in thought again. _"What are we gonna do? We have to go to that mansion tonight even if it is a trap. I just wish we knew more about that Orion bastard. Apparently, he uses those souls he steals as steroids to give himself a power boost. How are we supposed to beat that?"_

The redhead mentally sighed, _"Well there's no point in fretting over it. I'm not the type to worry about stuff like this anyway. As long as we all stick together, I'm sure it'll all work out."_

Hazel eyes narrowed. _"Watch out bastard here we come."

* * *

_

After school let out, the group agreed to meet up at Haley's apartment seeing as how that's where their mamodo probably were. Unfortunately, Yamamoto said he couldn't help with the fight later that night because his father would need his help at the sushi bar.

Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry guys. I really wanted to help, but Friday nights is usually when the sushi bar has its biggest crowd."

Derrick placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Yamamoto. We understand. You've already been a big help. You and Trance really saved us last night. We'll take over from here."

The baseball player smiled, "Thanks." His eyes grew serious. "Make sure to take care of that guy, alright?"

The other jock nodded, "You got it."

Once Yamamoto left, Haley and Katsu headed for her apartment. Derrick promised he'd come over as soon as football practice was over.

When the two arrived at Haley's apartment, they were met with an amusing sight. Leon and Hikaru were playing one of her racing video games while Toshiro and a reluctant Kai were playing a game of chess. Alice, Kira, and Minoru seemed to be playing scrabble, and by the looks of it, the two mamodo were beating the poor teen.

Haley laughed, "Looks like you guys are having fun. I hope we're not interrupting anything."

Kai released a sigh of relief. "Finally, I thought you'd never show up. Nii-san won't quit bugging me, so I haven't been able to get any sleep."

Toshiro chuckled, "Now now, little brother. You shouldn't say things like that about your dear older brother. Besides, you had plenty of time to sleep earlier. It's not healthy taking so many naps anyway."

The wind mamodo stretched his arms. "Sure it is. I've never heard of sleeping being unhealthy."

Leon paused the game and turned to his sister. "So any new kidnappings?"

The girl shook her head. "No, it looks like that bastard took a break last night. Though I have a feeling that might have been why he took Elizabeth."

Katsu frowned, "Instead of looking for a new victim, he decided to steal his subordinate's soul since she failed. It makes sense."

Alice hugged her teddy bear. "Even if she wasn't a good person, she didn't deserve having her soul stolen."

Haley sighed, "I guess that means we've got another person to save even if she's a brat."

Hikaru shook his head. "You guys sure are nice. If I were in your position, I doubt I could forgive her so easily."

Kai shrugged, "It's not like we can just leave her there though some of us might want to. Besides, saving those other girls more than likely will save her at the same time, so it's not like we'll have to do any extra work."

Toshiro grinned, "The less work the better, right Kai?"

The lazy teen glared at his brother who only chuckled in response. After remaining quiet for so long, Minoru finally spoke. "S-so how a-are you p-planning on s-saving the g-girls and m-my parents?"

The room went silent as everyone pondered over the question. Finally, Leon answered, "The best thing to do would be to split up. Some of us go after Orion while the others look for the girls. I wouldn't be surprised if they're being held in some kind of dungeon."

Hikaru nodded, "You're right. I've been in that mansion once, and I never could find where Orion was keeping those girls. They're definitely not upstairs because I checked every inch of that part of the mansion. Orion gave us a mission, so I didn't have a chance to check downstairs."

Haley crossed her arms. "Alright if we do split up, who's going after the girls? I wanna be in the group that goes after Orion. I really wanna give that bastard a piece of my mind."

Kai sighed, "I was afraid you'd say that."

Katsu wore a determined look. "I'll go wherever Anego goes!"

Leon glared at the boy. "No way. Haley's with me. You and the jock can go after the girls."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "And who made you the leader? Besides, I don't think Derrick would like you making decisions for him while he's not here."

Alice giggled, "It's alright, Haley. I think Derrick-kun would be more than willing to go save those girls."

The red haired girl sighed, "Of course he would. I should've known. But that still doesn't mean you should boss Katsu around, Leon."

Not wanting to anger the older brother, Katsu intervened, "It's alright, Anego. If Aniki is with you, I know you'll be in good hands."

Haley smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Katsu. I'll be relying on you and Derrick to get those girls to safety."

Katsu put a hand to his chest. "You can count on me, Anego!"

She continued to smile as she turned her attention to the two younger mamodo. "And I'll be counting on you two as well. Make sure Derrick and Katsu stay out of trouble, alright?"

When the two saw her wink, Alice beamed while Kira simply nodded. "Of course!"

The silver haired girl ran to the door when she saw it open. She jumped Derrick as soon as he walked in. "Derrick-kun! What took you so long?"

Derrick grinned, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Alice. I had to change out of my practice clothes." Instead of wearing his school uniform, the black haired teen wore a blue jersey with the number 22 on it and lack jean shorts. "So what did I miss?"

After the group finished explaining their plan, Derrick smirked, "Saving pretty damsels in distress. I can't think of a better way to spend my Friday night."

When she saw Katsu scowl, Haley quickly intervened before a fight could brew. "We thought you'd like the idea. But this also means, you and Katsu will have to work together, so no fighting. Got it?"

The two black haired teens gulped when they noticed the scary aura coming from the red haired girl. "Y-yes ma'am!"

Toshiro smirked, "Very impressive partner you have there, Kai. I can see how she's been able to get you to participate in all the battles so far."

Kai groaned, "I feel like I'm being punished for all the times I've shirked my chores and school work." His brother simply laughed and put a hand on the lazy teen's shoulder.

Like his partner, Leon was smirking at his sister's threat. _"I guess I don't have to worry about these guys after all. Though I'm still gonna keep an eye on them when they're around Haley. Especially Runners."_ After checking his watch, the red haired man stood up. "Looks like it's time to head out, guys."

The rest of the group nodded. Before they could leave, Hikaru asked, "What about us? You want us to just stay here?"

Haley grinned, "Don't worry. I've already thought of that. Yamamoto told us it was fine if you two went over and stayed at his place for the night."

Minoru played with his fingers. "A-are you s-sure? I-I don't w-wanna be a-any trouble for Y-Yamamoto-san."

Derrick put a hand on the bespectacled teen's shoulder. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. You just stay over there for a couple of hours, and soon you'll be reunited with your parents."

The dark blue haired teen smiled, "T-thank you, D-Derrick-san."

Hikaru gave Leon a serious look. "Take care of Kari for me. She better come out of there unharmed."

The red haired man nodded, "I'll bring your sister back safely, I promise."

After that, the group left and walked to Yamamoto's sushi bar. Once they dropped Hikaru and Minoru off and talked to Yamamoto and Trance, the four teens and their mamodo partners headed for Orion's mansion.

* * *

Luckily, the mansion wasn't too hard to find. After a half an hour of walking, the group arrived at their destination. The mansion was quite large and very dreary looking. It was easy to tell just by looking at it that no one had lived in that house in quite some time by its rundown appearance.

The mansion was a dull color-a mixture of black and grey- and the paint was chipping on some areas of the building. Also the windows appeared to be covered preventing anyone from looking inside. The way it was surrounded by dead trees added to its creepiness. Overall, the mansion was a place the group was not looking forward to entering.

Alice hid behind her partner's leg. "I-I don't like this place."

Derrick grabbed the girl and pulled her into his arms. "It's alright, Alice. Don't let its appearance fool you. I'm sure it's not as bad inside."

Leon crossed his arms. "Somehow I doubt that."

Kai scratched his head. "Well it is rumored to be a haunted mansion. It's not all that surprising that it looks like this."

Haley sighed, "He's right. We have no choice but to go in. Besides, I think ghosts will be the least of our worries."

Katsu grinned at the red haired girl. "Don't worry, Anego! If anything tries to harm you, I'll take care of it!" Kira simply shook his head at his partner's antics.

Toshiro took a step forward. "I guess we should get this over with."

Leon followed his partner. "Yeah. The sooner we beat that bastard and save those girls the better."

The rest of the group shared a nod before following the older teens. The floorboards creaked as they walked onto the front porch. Everyone tensed but continued moving toward the inside of the house.

Haley along with everyone else took in their surroundings with wide eyes. The interior of the house was completely different than what anyone imagined. Everything appeared clean and well-maintained. There were many portraits decorating the walls along different types of furniture. Toward the back of the room in the center was a large staircase leading to the second floor. Its steps were covered with a beautiful red carpet.

Derrick scratched his head. "Well this was unexpected. I know I said the inside should be different, but I honestly wasn't expecting something like this."

Alice looked around the room with wide child-like eyes. She quickly jumped down from her partner's grasp and began running around the room. "It's so beautiful! You were right, Derrick-kun. It's much nicer in here than out there."

Leon narrowed his eyes as glanced across the room. "Be careful, guys. We don't know what Orion has planned for us. Keep your eyes peeled for anything strange."

Katsu and Kira moved toward the right side of the room to check for anything suspicious while Derrick and Alice inspected the left part of the room.

Haley walked toward the staircase with a bored looking Kai not far behind her. "I guess I'll check the staircase. There might be someone up there watching us, or maybe Orion is hiding upstairs."

Leon nodded, "I'll come with you." The red haired man followed his sister along with his partner. Right when they reached the foot of the stairs, the redheads and their partners heard a familiar yell.

"What the hell?"

Right before their eyes, Katsu along with Kira disappeared through a trap door in the wall. At the same time, Derrick and Alice fell through a trap door in the wall they were near.

Before she could react, Haley felt the floor underneath her disappear. Kai quickly grabbed her but unfortunately ended up falling along with his partner into the trap door. Without any hesitation, Leon and Toshiro jumped in after their siblings.

* * *

Derrick rubbed his head as he got into a sitting position. He turned his attention to the silver haired girl he was holding. "You alright, Alice?"

Alice nodded, "Yes I'm okay, Derrick-kun. Where are we?"

The football player glanced around the area. The room might've been a bedroom at one time, but he couldn't see a bed anywhere. He did spot a wooden dresser along with what appeared to be a large walk-in closet.

Derrick rose to his feet while still holding his partner. "By the looks of it, I'm gonna guess a bedroom. I guess this was the room behind that wall we went through."

Alice gave him a worried look. "What are we gonna do, Derrick-kun? We were separated from the others."

The black haired teen patted the child's head and smiled, "Don't worry, Alice. We'll meet up with those guys soon. Right now we have a mission remember?"

The silver haired mamodo nodded, "Yeah! We have to go save those girls!"

Derrick grinned, "That's right! We have an important job to do, so let's get to it!"

"Right!"

Unknown to the cheerful pair, there were two pairs of eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

Katsu scowled, "Damn trap door. Now I don't know where Anego is. That bastard Orion better not attack her while I'm gone."

Kira sighed, "She has her mamodo and her brother to look after her. I'm sure Haley's fine. Now we on the other hand might not be."

The two boys were what appeared to be a den. It was a large room with bookcases filled with many different types of books on each wall. There was also a giant globe in the corner behind them. In the center of the room was a lone table with only one chair by it.

Katsu raised an eyebrow at his partner. "Why do you say that, Kira?"

Icy blue eyes narrowed. "Because there's a mamodo here."

A giggle brought the two's attention to a far off corner shrouded in darkness. When he saw two pairs of eyes staring at him, Katsu quickly brought out the grey book and cursed, "Damn. Looks like we won't be leaving here anytime soon."

* * *

Haley slowly opened her eyes to see Kai lying underneath her. The girl quickly realized she must've fallen on her partner when they landed. "Kai! Are you alright?"

Kai sighed, "I will be once you get off me. You're heavy." He winced when she hit him. "What was that for?"

The red haired girl got off her partner and glared at him. "For being rude, you jerk." When she heard moaning, Haley looked to the side to see Leon and Toshiro beginning to wake up. The high school student crawled over to her brother. "Hey Leon, you okay? Don't tell me you two actually jumped in after us."

Leon sat up with the help of his sister. Once he checked her over for injuries, the older teen replied, "Of course we did. No way am I letting you out of my sight if I can help it."

When he saw his brother nod in agreement, Kai shook his head. "That was very reckless, Nii-san. You shouldn't do stupid things like that."

Toshiro grinned, "Aw are you worried about me, Kai? I knew you cared."

The wind mamodo scowled, "Shut up."

While the mamodo were talking, the two redheads rose to their feet. Hazel and emerald eyes scanned the area. It appeared that they were in a basement of some sort. The walls were made of stone instead of wood like the room they were previously in.

There wasn't much lighting in the room, but the book owners could tell the room was pretty much empty. The four jumped when they heard what sounded like static. The group tensed as they heard a familiar voice talking through some kind of intercom.

"Welcome, dear guests! I'm glad you decided to come. I enjoy having company over."

Haley scowled, "Can it, Orion! We're not here to fool around. Show yourself so we can kick your ass!"

A sigh could be heard through the intercom. "Now that's not very nice, Haley. After all the trouble I went to so this place would be ready for you. I don't even get a thank you. Oh well it doesn't matter. There's no point in beating around the bush. But first I want to show you something."

Before anyone could question the red-eyed mamodo, a loud rumbling could be heard as the ground began to shake. Leon grabbed his sister and pulled her back when walls began to shoot up from the ground.

In a matter of seconds, a large maze was standing in front of the redheads and their partners. The four could only gape at the sheer size of the maze.

A loud chuckle interrupted their thoughts. "Do you like it? I had it prepared just for you. You see I have a little game planned for you. It's very simple, so it shouldn't be too hard for you four to play. All you need to do is make it to the center of the maze and you win!"

Leon frowned, "Oh yeah real simple. There are probably tons of booby traps waiting for us as soon as we walk in there."

Kai yawned, "We're doomed."

His brother sighed, "You really need to work on that attitude of yours, little brother."

Orion continued to chuckle. "The maze wouldn't be as fun without a few challenges here and there. Now that you know the rules of the game, we can start."

Haley bit her lip. _"Why do I have a feeling that there are more than just a few simple booby traps in there? This isn't gonna be easy."_

"Now let the games begin!"

* * *

**Dun dun dun. Sorry guys I feel like I just left you with three cliffhangers lol Oh well it just gets you more pumped up for the next chapter haha X D **

**Now we're gonna do something a little different. As a way to say thank you for all of your awesome reviews, I'm gonna let you guys vote on whose battle you wanna see next chapter. Do you wanna see Derrick and Alice's? Katsu and Kira's? Or are you more interested in seeing how Haley's group handles Orion's game? It's up to you my friends ^-^**

**Just vote in your reviews and whichever team has the most votes then that team will be starring in the next chapter. I look forward to seeing who you guys vote for X )**


	15. Kira's Fury

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Yay! The story now has over 50 reviews! Thank you guys so much! Now I'm pretty sure you guys already know who'll be fighting in this chapter if you looked at the reviews but I'll announce it anyway X ) The winners are: Katsu and Kira! Thanks for the votes everyone! I was a mixture of happy and surprised when I saw two votes for these guys. I wasn't sure if you guys liked these two or not but I'm glad you do cause I'm very fond of them too X D**

**BetaWriter: Of course you can! Send as many OCs as you want : )**

**stevethemime: Your review made me laugh lol Wait no longer. Here's the end of one of my many cliffhangers, and you also get to see the fight you voted for ; )**

**Here's chapter 15 of A Battle To Remember! **_

* * *

_

_When he saw two pairs of eyes staring at him, Katsu quickly brought out the grey book and cursed, "Damn. Looks like we won't be leaving here anytime soon."_

As soon as the words left Katsu's lips, two figures walked out of the shadows. One was a boy who looked to be about a year older than Katsu while the girl appeared to be Katsu's age.

The older teen had spiky white hair, yellow cat-like eyes, and pale skin. What really caught Katsu's attention were the fox ears and tail on the boy. Both the ears and tail were white with black tips. He wore a white t-shirt, a grey coat, grey jeans, and black sneakers.

The girl had long black hair, yellow eyes, and very tan skin. She wore a yellow halter top, black shorts, and yellow ankle high boots. In her right hand the younger teen held a plum colored book.

Katsu kept a tight grip on the open grey book as he glared at the other pair. "Who the hell are you? More of Orion's minions?"

The white haired mamodo frowned, "I'm nobody's minion! I'm helping Orion because he promised me I'd get to fight a lot if I did. My name's Zekuri and I'll be your opponent."

The girl wore a seductive grin and winked at Katsu. "And I'm Tika. Nice to meet you, handsome. How about you hand over that grey book of yours? If you do, I'll let you take me out on a date."

Katsu scowled, "Screw that! The only book getting burned here is yours."

Zekuri sighed, "I told you that wouldn't work, Tika."

Tika glared at her partner. "Shut up, Zekuri. He's just playing hard to get. He'll be begging for a date by the time this battle is over."

Katsu glanced down at his partner. "You ready, Kira? I wanna finish these guys quickly, so we can complete our mission and find Anego."

Kira nodded, "Yes but don't underestimate them, Katsu. That mamodo seems strong."

"You got it. Let's show them what we're made of! Midero!"

The silver haired mamodo lifted his right hand as his body gave off a white glow. He pointed his hand at the table and chair in front of him causing them to float in the air. With a flick of his wrist, the table and chair were sent flying towards Zekuri and his partner.

Zekuri wore a serious expression as he moved in front of his partner. "Read a spell, Tika!"

His partner opened the plum book and shouted, "Novironi!"

The white haired mamodo's hands turned into white claws as he charged toward the oncoming attack. With a quick sweep of his claws, the furniture was slashed to pieces. Zekuri didn't stop there however. He ran towards Kira and began to attack with his claws.

Kira's face remained calm as he dodged each of the other mamodo's attacks. Due to his small size, the silver haired mamodo was able to avoid the attacks with ease.

Icy blue eyes narrowed when he noticed one of Zekuri's claws get stuck in the floor after Kira dodged it. Before the white haired teen could react, the silver haired mamodo moved forward and began to attack.

Zekuri brought up his other claw to block the oncoming fist but was surprised when he saw the other disappear. The older mamodo looked down just in time to see Kira spring upwards from his crouched position and punch Zekuri right in the jaw.

The white haired teen landed on his back, and his hands turned back to normal. He slowly sat up and rubbed his chin. _"I didn't expect a kid that small to have such strength. I guess I underestimated him." _"Not bad, kid. I think I'm gonna enjoy this fight."

Katsu grinned, "That's the way, Kira! Nice hit!"

Tika put her hands on her hips. "Less talking and more fighting! Don't go easy on him just because he's a kid, Zekuri!"

Zekuri rose to his feet and stretched his arms. "I wasn't planning on it, Tika." He grinned, "Now it's time for round two!"

"Guruoni!"

The white haired mamodo raised his hands and fired silver fire balls at Kira. The child didn't move a muscle even as the attack got closer. The silver haired mamodo simply lifted his hands as his partner yelled, "Miderano!"

A large silver dome with a purple eye outline in its center surrounded Kira blocking the fire balls. When the dome disappeared, Zekuri whistled, "Wow that kid didn't even blink. This is getting even more interesting."

Katsu smirked, "It'll take a lot more than that to rattle Kira. It's time to take this up a notch, Kira. Miderum!"

Kira's body gave off a white glow even brighter than before. He raised both of his hands into the air as the bookshelves began to shake. In a matter of seconds, the child was surrounded by at least a hundred floating books.

Both pairs of yellow eyes widened as the books headed straight for Zekuri and his partner. The white haired teen ran towards his partner and mentally cursed. _"Damn our defensive spell won't be able to handle an attack like this. These books have us completely surrounded."_

Once he was in front of his partner, Zekuri shouted, "Read the third spell, Tika!"

Instead of complaining about being ordered around, Tika simply nodded, "Giga Volteria!"

Katsu watched wide-eyed as the enemy mamodo turned into a large white fox with a flaming tail tip and paws.

Zekuri opened his mouth and released a large blast of white fire at the oncoming books. He burned all the books before any could reach him or his partner.

The grey-eyed teen took a step back in surprise. _"So that's why Kira said to watch out for that mamodo. He's stronger than I thought."_

After he finished with the books, Zekuri ran forward at an incredible speed. In a blink of an eye, the fox was in front of Kira and unleashing another blast of fire at the child.

The silver haired mamodo jumped to the side to dodge the attack and continued to run when the fire kept coming towards him.

Katsu inwardly cursed. _"Damn. Kira's in a real bind. We don't have any spells to match the speed of those fire blasts. I doubt our shield would be able to hold up if it was repeatedly hit by fire." _

The black haired teen froze when something caught his eye. _"Wait a minute. Is that?"_ He grinned, _"We're not out of this fight yet."_ "Kira!"

Kira shifted his gaze to where his partner was looking. Once he found what Katsu was staring at, the silver haired mamodo smirked, "It seems we have a chance to turn the tables. Do it, Katsu."

Katsu wore a similar smirk. "Midero!"

While still running, the child lifted his right hand and pointed it off toward the side. Zekuri stopped his attack as he prepared to defend himself from the new attack.

When nothing happened, the fox blinked in confusion before shaking his head. "I don't know what you're planning, but it won't work!" Zekuri fired another blast at the other mamodo.

"Kira, catch!"

The fox's eyes widened when he saw what Katsu threw at his partner. Kira smirked as he used the room's fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The silver haired mamodo ran forward as he continued to spray his opponent.

Before he could get away, Zekuri was completely covered with foam. Tika narrowed her eyes as she watched her partner try to shake off the thick substance._ "Looks like playing Zekuri's way isn't gonna cut it this time. It's time to do things my way._" She grinned as she slowly moved away trying not to catch the others' attention.

Katsu smirked, "Now let's finish him off! Midareu!"

The eye outline on Kira's shirt began to glow brightly. A purple blast fired from the outline straight towards Zekuri who was still trying to get the foam off his fur.

"Defenfice!"

A large shield that looked like the fox's tail appeared in front of Zekuri blocking Kira's spell. Icy blue eyes narrowed as he tried to find his opponent. He couldn't see the fox due to the smoke from when his attack collided with the shield.

Kira froze when he caught sight of movement nearby. Suddenly, Zekuri jumped through the smoke and attacked the mamodo. Unable to react in time, Kira received a large slash on his side from the fox's claws.

Unfortunately, the older mamodo wasn't done yet. Zekuri continued to swipe at the child with his claws. When he saw how Kira was still able to dodge his blows despite his injury, the fox opened his mouth and unleashed another blast of fire at his opponent.

Kira ducked and rolled to the side barely avoiding the attack. When Katsu saw his partner raise his hand, the black haired teen yelled, "Miderum!"

The globe that was in the back corner of the room began to glow and float before it flew towards the fox. Caught off guard, Zekuri was knocked back by the large globe.

Katsu ran toward his partner and kneeled down to check the child's injury. "Are you alright, Kira?"

His partner nodded, "I'm fine. I was able to doge the blow enough to avoid a fatal injury. I can handle a wound like this. It'd be wise if you stayed back just in case the other mamodo attacks again."

Zekuri rose to his feet and grinned showing off his sharp teeth. "I wouldn't do that. Attacking an opponent when they're off guard like that is cowardly. I would never attack a book owner. This fight is between you and me. Don't worry. I won't hurt your partner."

Katsu scowled, "Like I would let you, damn fox. I can take care of myself." He turned his attention to his partner. "Well if you're alright, then I'll back off. I don't wanna get in your way."

The grey-eyed teen quickly walked back to where he previously stood and re-opened the grey book. "I'm ready when you are, Kira."

"Sorry but the only thing you're gonna be ready for is defeat!"

Icy blue eyes widened as a large bookcase near Katsu began to fall. As the bookcase fell, the others could see Tika standing there with a large smirk on her face. Katsu cursed as he tried to run out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the book lying on the floor in front of him in time. The black haired teen tripped over the book and crashed to the floor.

_"Damn. I won't be able to make it time. The only thing I can do is make sure I don't lose the book." _Katsu closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the grey book. When a few seconds had passed with no pain, grey eyes slowly opened before growing large.

Kira stood beside his partner with his arms lifted preventing the bookcase from falling further. Everyone watched in amazement as the silver haired mamodo continued to raise the bookcase upwards before finally throwing it to the side.

Tika snapped her fingers. "Damn. I thought that would work. I was hoping he'd let go of his book."

Zekuri turned back into his human form and glared at his partner. "What the hell were you thinking, Tika? You could've killed that book owner! And I already told you I wanted to fight this battle fairly."

The black haired girl crossed her arms and huffed, "I wasn't trying to kill him. Besides, fighting your way wasn't working. I had to take things into my own hands."

Her partner scowled, "Well your way didn't exactly work either. So just leave this fight to me, ok?"

"Whatever."

Katsu sat up and watched his partner in confusion when he noticed Kira hadn't budged since throwing the bookcase. "Kira?"

The child said nothing as he turned to face his partner. Kira's face was shadowed by his hair preventing the older teen from reading his expression. "Are you ok, Katsu?"

The owner of the grey book nodded as he rose to his feet. "Yeah I'm alright. What about you? You're the one who just lifted a humongous bookcase by yourself. How's your wound?"

Instead of replying, Kira turned towards Tika and her partner. The two froze when the child raised his head. Angry icy blue eyes glared at them with such force that if looks could kill the duo would've definitely been done for.

Katsu blinked in surprise when he saw the grey book begin to shine brighter than he had ever seen. He quickly opened the book and saw a new spell appear. Since it looked like their opponents were off guard, Katsu decided to read the spell hoping it would help turn the battle in their favor. _"I hope this works!"_ "Dio Mideransu!"

Kira's eyes gave off an eerie white glow as he took a step forward. He continued to move towards his opponents who remained still.

The grey-eyed teen wore a confused look. _"I don't get it. What's this spell do? Unless-" _

When Kira stopped right in front of the other duo, the two were still rooted to the exact same spot that they were in when Kira first began to move.

Both Zekuri and Tika were thinking the same thing. _"I can't move!"_

Katsu smirked, "A paralysis spell. Nice. Just what we needed."

Finally, the silver haired mamodo began to speak. His voice was so dark and menacing it sent chills down everyone's back even his own partner's. "You ever attack my partner like that again, and I'll kill you. No one hurts my book owner and gets away with it."

After recovering from his shock, Katsu grinned, _"I've never seen Kira get angry before. It's kinda cool though I wouldn't want him mad at me." _"Let's finish this, Kira! Midareu!"

Kira fired another purple blast straight at Zekuri and his partner. Luckily for Tika, Zekuri was positioned in front of her, so he took the brunt of the attack though both were knocked back into the bookcase behind them.

Katsu walked over to his partner and put a hand on his head. "Good job, Kira. You really showed those two."

The silver haired mamodo shook his head. "It was because of my carelessness that you were almost killed. I should have noticed when that girl had moved."

His partner sighed, "It's my fault. It's my job to keep an eye on the other book owner. Instead, I ignored her and watched the fight. So you have no reason to blame yourself."

Before the child could reply, he stiffened and turned toward where the other duo was sent flying. Katsu raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Kira?"

Icy blue eyes narrowed. "That mamodo's still here. Somehow the book wasn't hit by my spell."

The black haired teen gaped, "You can't be serious!"

The two watched as the other team walked out the smoke caused by their collision. Tika was covered with scratches but otherwise unharmed. Zekuri on the other hand had as large eye-shaped burn mark on his chest from where the attack hit him.

Tika scowled, "You'll pay for that, you little brat!"

Zekuri rubbed his chest and winced, "Damn. That hurts. I'm surprised my book didn't get burned by that last attack. We really lucked out." His eyes grew serious. "I know you were mad at us, but you could've refrained from attacking my book owner."

Kira shrugged, "I could care less about that girl. She had it coming to her for what she tried to do to Katsu."

Katsu wore a surprised look. _"Wow I've never heard Kira talk like that before. Hell I don't think I've ever heard him talk to any opponent we've ever faced. He must be really pissed."_

Tika glared at the younger mamodo. "You'll regret attacking me, brat. No one hurts me and gets away with it! Lunacurico!"

Both yellow-eyed teens' bodies gave off a silver glow as their wounds began to heal. After a few seconds, Tika's scratches vanished, and Zekuri's wound was completely healed. Kira narrowed his eyes and ran towards the other mamodo.

The black haired girl smirked, "Not so fast, brat! Jurigo!"

A silver flame-like sword appeared in Zekuri's right hand which he quickly swung at the child. When he swung his sword, a wave of white flames shot towards Kira.

The silver haired mamodo quickly jumped back avoiding the blade and barely missing the wave of flames. Katsu cursed, _"Damn. I didn't think they'd have a healing spell. What are we supposed to do now? Kira's injured. He can't keep dodging forever."_ He was about to call out another spell but stopped when Kira shook his head. _"That's right. We've already used eight spells. I probably only have enough heart energy for two more spells. Three at the most. But what am I supposed to do? I can't just leave Kira on his own. I have to think of something."_

Zekuri continued to slash at the younger mamodo with his sword creating large waves of white flames. Kira received small burns from the flames but managed to dodge the attacks. He quickly jumped back and landed in front of his partner. "Don't worry, Katsu. Just read a spell when I give you the signal. I can take care of this."

Katsu nodded, _"I just need to have faith in Kira. I know he's capable of defeating this guy. I'm just worried about his wound."_ "Alright. Kick his ass."

Kira smirked before running towards the other mamodo. Zekuri raised an eyebrow. "Another frontal assault? What makes you think it'll work better than last time?"

When the child got close enough, the white haired teen swung his sword down creating another large wave of white flames. Katsu's eyes widened when he saw the flames completely surround his partner. The younger mamodo was trapped in a ring of fire.

Zekuri grinned, "Sorry, kid. I liked fighting you, but it's time to finish this." He lifted his sword preparing to give the finishing blow.

Before the older mamodo could attack, Kira jumped through the flames and punched the surprised Zekuri straight in the face. The attack caught the white haired teen off guard making him lose his grip on his sword.

Kira flipped backwards avoiding the punch Zekuri threw at him and landed where the ring of fire used to be. Apparently the flames died away when the older mamodo lost his concentration. The silver haired mamodo quickly called out. "Katsu, read the spell!"

"Midero!"

The younger mamodo raised his glowing hand toward Zekuri's fallen sword. Before the white haired teen could grab it, Kira made the sword fly into his hand. The child smirked as he swung the sword at Zekuri.

Zekuri jumped straight into the air to avoid the large wave of flames that the sword created. He grinned, "Nice try, kid. That was a close one, but don't think you'll be able finish me off so easily."

His grin faded when he noticed that Kira was still smirking despite having his attack dodged. Zekuri's eyes widened when he heard a familiar voice shout. "Midareu!"

Kira aimed the glowing eye outline at the older mamodo who was still in the air. The outline fired a large purple blast at the defenseless Zekuri.

The white haired teen, unable to dodge while in mid-air, took the attack head on and got knocked back into a nearby bookcase. Unfortunately for Zekuri, that wasn't the end of his pain.

After he hit the floor, the large bookcase behind him toppled over right on top of him. Katsu grimaced, "Damn. That had to hurt."

A few seconds passed by in silence before the large bookcase was thrown aside by the still-conscious Zekuri. The older mamodo slowly rose to his feet and groaned, "Damn. That hurt."

Yellow eyes focused on icy blue ones. "Don't think I'm done yet, kid. Tika, close the book! We have to get rid of the sword!"

"Sorry but that's not gonna happen."

The white haired mamodo turned toward his partner and grew wide-eyed. Instead of Tika, he saw Katsu standing there holding the plum book with an unconscious Tika on the ground. "H-how?"

The grey-eyed teen grinned as he pulled out a lighter and set the plum book on fire before Zekuri could react. "It was easy. While Kira was distracting you, I approached your partner. All I had to do was give her a bunch of compliments and tell her I'd go on a date with her. When she let her guard down, I knocked her out. Your partner really needs to work on not being so vain."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "You told her you'd go on a date with her?"

Katsu wore a disgusted look. "Don't remind me. It was the only thing I could think of to get the book away from her. I didn't wanna do it. Don't you dare tell Anego or that football idiot what I did."

His partner chuckled, "Whatever you say."

Zekuri sighed as his body began to fade. "I can't believe I didn't notice you move. I guess I was too focused on the kid." He shifted his gaze toward Kira. "That was a good fight, kid. I had fun. Sorry about what Tika did earlier. She'll do anything to win, but she's not a bad person."

Katsu scoffed, "You could've fooled me."

Kira rolled his eyes at his partner before turning toward Zekuri. "It wasn't your fault, so you shouldn't apologize. After all, I attacked your partner as well."

The white haired mamodo scratched his head. "Yeah that's true. Just don't be too hard on her, ok? I was the one who decided to team up with Orion."

Katsu waved his hand dismissively. "We won't hurt your partner. She might be annoying, but we don't have time for that. Where are the kidnapped girls being held?"

Zekuri shrugged, "Beats me. Orion never told me, and I never asked. Though my best bet would be in the dungeon downstairs. Good luck rescuing those girls. You'll need it to beat Orion."

The black haired teen wanted to yell at the older mamodo and get more information out of him, but Zekuri disappeared before he could. "Damn. That guy wasn't useful at all."

Katsu slowly walked over to his partner and kneeled down beside him. "How're you doing, Kira? Those burns look pretty bad."

Kira winced when he moved his body. "They're nothing serious. Like I've told you before, mamodo's bodies heal fairly quickly. I should be alright as long as I don't have to fight anymore. I doubt you could read anymore spells anyway."

The grey-eyed teen sighed, "You're right. I wanted to help Anego fight Orion after saving the girls, but I guess we'll just have to leave the fight to her and Aniki. For now, let's look for something to help with those injuries."

His partner raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you'll find a first aid kit lying around here, Katsu. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. For now, let's just get out of here and look for the dungeon."

Icy blue eyes widened when Katsu picked him up. "What are you doing?"

Katsu rolled his eyes. "Carrying you what else? Don't think I'm just gonna let you walk on your own with injuries like that. I may not be able to treat those wounds right now, but I can at least prevent you from pushing yourself too hard."

Kira looked away wearing what appeared to be an embarrassed expression. "Thank you."

The words were so quiet that Katsu was barely able to hear them. When he did, the black haired teen grinned, "Your welcome. Anytime, partner."

* * *

**Zekuri and Tika are the awesome creations of Emeraldshard. Thank you for the OCs! I'm sorry if I messed them up. I hope I did them justice. ^_^**

**Well I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter : ) I ended up not putting any line breaks in the story besides the one at the beginning and the end cause I couldn't find the right spot for one lol **

**Next chapter will probably be Derrick and Alice's fight. I think I wanna save the Storm family fight for last since it's gonna be different from the others' fights.**


	16. Alice the Dragon Slayer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey guys! I'm so so sorry I've taken so long to update this chapter. I wanted to update sooner but I was having a little trouble with this chapter. I'll explain in the A/N at the end of the chapter. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I had fun writing it X ) I hope you enjoy the chapter : )**

**Here's chapter 16 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**_

* * *

_

__

The silver haired mamodo nodded, "Yeah! We have to go save those girls!"

_Derrick grinned, "That's right! We have an important job to do, so let's get to it!"_

"_Right!"_

_Unknown to the cheerful pair, there were two pairs of eyes watching them from the shadows._

Once the two realized there wasn't much to investigate in the large room, Derrick and Alice headed for the door hoping they would find some clue as to where the kidnapped girls were being held. They didn't get very far before a new voice stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Dimourey Mour!"

Derrick turned toward the side just in time to see a large mass of crystals flying straight toward them. The football player quickly opened the powder blue book and yelled, "Kiroshield!"

Alice raised her hands and a large metal spiraling shield appeared in front of them. The crystals hit the shield and bounced off when the shield began to spin faster.

The black haired teen scanned their surroundings looking for the source of the sudden attack. Derrick and Alice nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard a loud roar penetrate the once silent atmosphere.

Both brown and silver-grey eyes widened when they saw the wall surrounding the door to the walk-in closet began to shake. In an instant, the door and its surroundings crumbled creating a large gaping hole.

The two remained frozen as they watched a gigantic form come out of the hole in the wall. Derrick and his partner finally realized what the figure was once it was completely out of the shadows. It was a blue dragon with a long white stripe down its back. Its skin was crystallized most likely because of the spell that was cast earlier. The dragon had sharp teeth, and its head nearly reached the ceiling.

Alice and Derrick both gulped when they noticed the hungry look on the dragon's face. A few seconds after the creature emerged a figure walked out of the hole.

The figure was a girl about a year older than Derrick. She had pale skin, purple hair, and grey eyes. The girl wore black makeup, a black blouse, a red skirt, and black heels. Overall, the newcomer looked very gothic.

The purple haired teen smirked, "Don't worry, me partner won't eat you. Well at least not right now anyway."

Alice, although scared of the large dragon in front of her, didn't move from her position in front of her partner. "W-who are you?" _"And why is she talking so funny?" _The child wanted to ask her other question out loud but quickly dismissed the idea.

The older girl crossed her arms. "Usually I would say it's none of your business but I'm feeling generous today. After all, we are about to burn your book. I'm Ises, and this is me mamodo Drax."

Derrick wore a carefree grin as he took a step forward as if to guard Alice. "It's nice to meet you, Ises-chan. I'm Derrick. How about we settle this peacefully? I don't like fighting pretty girls."

Ises scowled when she saw the jock wink at her. "Shut up! Guys like you annoy me the most!"

Drax moved closer to his partner as he growled at Derrick who involuntarily took a step backwards. The older girl continued to scowl as she pulled out a dark red book. "Looks like me mamodo don't like you either. Let's finish them off quickly, Drax. Drimour!"

Iron armor connected by chains covered the dragon's body. There was also a large drill where his mouth was located. The drill began to spin at an alarming speed as Drax aimed for Alice and her partner.

Derrick clenched his teeth before shouting, "Kiroshield!"

Again Alice summoned a metal shield just in time before the drill could reach them. The dragon tried to break the shield by continuing to push into it, but the spiraling shield's spinning just increased as the pressure did.

The football player's gaze never once left the shield. _"Come on! If the shield breaks, we'll have no way to defend ourselves from their attack. Please work!"_

Ises narrowed her eyes when she saw the shield wasn't breaking. _"'ow the bloody 'ell is that shield still standing? Drax's drill should've taken care of it already! There's something weird about that spell."_

Finally after a few minutes of struggling, Drax's drill cracked while Alice's shield remained unbroken. Derrick grinned, "Yes! It's our turn to attack, Alice! Kirouru!"

Alice lifted her hands and a ball of silver energy with a ring around it appeared in front of her hands. She lowered her arms as she swiftly threw the energy ball at the other mamodo.

"Not so fast! Tormour!"

Right before Alice's spell could hit, the wind around Drax began to move. Soon the dragon was in the center of a large tornado. The silver energy ball hit the tornado creating a large explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Drax was revealed to be unharmed and the tornado had vanished. Derrick waved his hand to get rid of the smoke and coughed, "Damn. We almost had them. I didn't expect a defensive spell like that."

Brown eyes widened when he saw large claws heading straight for them. The football player quickly grabbed his partner and began to run as Drax chased the two. He held Alice in his left arm while his right hand kept the powder blue book open. "Kironu!"

The silver haired girl shifted in her partner's hold so that she was facing the dragon chasing them. She raised her glowing hands and fired a blast of silver spiraling energy at the other mamodo.

Drax roared when the attack hit him straight in the face. Instead of stopping, the dragon simply shook his head and continued to chase his opponents.

Derrick increased his speed as he avoided all of the large mamodo's attacks. _"You've gotta be kidding me! That thing was hit by Kironu right in the face, and it didn't even faze him! How the hell are we supposed to fight a dragon? Focus, Runners. Don't let the gigantic dragon that's trying to eat you freak you out. There's gotta be a way to stop this thing."_

The black haired teen was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt someone tapping him. He looked down to see Alice who had a worried expression on her face. "What is it, Alice?"

His partner pointed behind him. "Um Derrick-kun, I think you need to speed up."

"Huh? Why?"

Derrick answered his own question when he turned around to see a large mouth full of sharp teeth heading straight for them. The jock ran so fast he swore he had just broken a world record.

Ises wore a bored look. "You've 'ad your fun, Drax. Now it's time we finish them off. Destromour!"

Drax opened his mouth and fired a large blast of red energy at the running duo. Derrick tightened his grip on Alice before jumping to the side barely avoiding the powerful attack.

The blast flew past its intended targets and hit the nearby wall instead. The football player watched wide-eyed as the entire wall disintegrated after being hit by the spell. "Damn. I'm glad I dodged instead of using Kiroshield. Or we would've been toast. You alright, Alice?"

Alice, who was still in her partner's arms, nodded, "I'm fine, Derrick-kun. What about you? That spell didn't hit you anywhere did it?"

Derrick smiled, "Nope. I'm okay." His face grew serious. "We need to come up with a plan. Brute force won't work on these guys. We'll just have to come up with something else instead."

The silver haired mamodo wiggled out of her partner's grasp and got back to her feet. "I know you're worried about me fighting that mamodo on my own, but I'll be alright, Derrick-kun. I can do it. I won't let you get hurt."

He patted her head. "I know, Alice. I just don't want you to get injured. But I believe in you so just be careful."

Alice grinned, "Of course!"

Ises rolled her eyes. "Are you two done yet? All this sappiness is making me sick. Shoketmour!"

Drax released another roar as his body became covered with a lightning armor. Suddenly, the dragon ran forward and then vanished. Before Derrick or his partner could blink, Drax was in front of them with his claws already raised to strike.

The football player quickly grabbed Alice and rolled to the side. He winced when he felt one of the dragon's claws nick his side.

Silver-grey eyes widened when she saw her partner began to bleed. When she saw another set of claws heading straight for them, Alice pulled herself out of her partner's grasp and moved in front of him.

Surprising everyone, the silver haired girl raised her hands and caught the dragon's claws before they could hit her or her partner. She glared at the other mamodo. "I won't forgive you for hurting Derrick-kun!"

Ises wore a shocked expression. "'ow the bloody 'ell did she do that? No one's strong enough to stop Drax especially when 'e's powered up with 'is lightning armor. Is that kid some kind of monster?"

Drax growled when he saw his attack was stopped. The dragon swung his other arm down intending to slash the girl to pieces with his other set of claws.

Derrick's eyes widened when the powder blue book began to shine brightly. He opened the book to see a new spell appear. The black haired teen smirked, "Good timing. Hope this works. Kiroerogas!"

Alice brought back her right hand while the left continued to hold the claws in front of her. A silver spiral of energy covered her right fist as she punched the oncoming set of claws.

Both book owners gaped when they saw the dragon's claws shatter upon impact with Alice's fist. Unfortunately for Drax, the silver haired girl wasn't finished.

The child swiftly took care of the dragon's other set of claws with her left hand before running straight towards the large mamodo. Drax tried to hit the girl with his unclawed fists using his increased speed, but Alice used her small size to her advantage.

Even with his super speed, the dragon couldn't manage to get a clear hit on the smaller mamodo. In fact, she actually disappeared. Drax searched all around him but couldn't find the child.

He heard his partner shout. "Drax, she's above you!"

"Kiroerogas!"

Drax looked up just in time to see Alice heading straight for him with another powered up fist. Unfortunately, she was too close so the dragon didn't have enough time to bring up his arms to defend against the attack. He opened his mouth and tried to bite the smaller mamodo, but she somehow managed to dodge while still in the air.

"Scamour!"

Right as the spell was called, Alice made contact with Drax's face right between his eyes. Her fist hit the dragon so hard it caused a mini-explosion covering the two mamodo with smoke from the blast.

Derrick winced as he slowly got into a standing position. He was using his left hand to try to stop the bleeding of his wound while his right hand continued to hold the powder blue book. _"I hope Alice is alright. Ises hasn't used that spell before so we don't know what it's capable of."_

Brown eyes widened when he saw Alice fly through the smoke as if she had been thrown. Ignoring his wound, the football player quickly ran over to his partner and caught her before she could hit the ground. "Alice! Are you alright?"

The silver haired girl looked a little worn out but besides her right hand being slightly red she appeared fine. She smiled, "I'm okay, Derrick-kun. What about you? How's your wound?"

Derrick shook his head. "It's fine. I'm more worried about you. What happened?"

Before the child could respond, a familiar roar interrupted them. The two turned to the side just in time to see the smoke clear. Drax stood relatively unharmed except for the bleeding in between his eyes.

Grey eyes widened. "Impossible! Drax's scales should've protected 'im! 'ow the 'ell did that twit manage to break through 'is scales?"

Derrick grinned, "Looks like your attack worked, Alice. Good job. Now we just need to find a way to burn his book. We'll just wear ourselves out trying to take that dragon down. As much as I hate attacking a lady, we need to take the fight to her."

Ises scowled, "Now you two are really starting to annoy me. Dimourey Mour!"

Drax's skin once again became crystallized as he opened his mouth and fired crystals at Derrick and Alice. The black haired teen began to run while still holding his partner. Unfortunately for them, the dragon didn't let up with his attack and began to chase the running duo while continuing to fire crystals at them.

Alice frowned, "You shouldn't be running, Derrick-kun! You're injured!"

Her partner was breathing heavily but his speed never faltered. "I-I'm fine, Alice. D-don't worry about me. I-I have to run or else we'll get caught."

Ises laughed, "You guys are pathetic! 'ow you twits managed to survive in this battle this long is beyond me. Drax, finish them!"

Drax roared as he fired another blast of crystals though this attack was larger than all his other ones. Derrick moved to the side barely avoiding the blast. Alice jumped out of her partner's grasp and lifted her arms. "Derrick-kun, read a spell!"

Her partner nodded, "Kirouru!"

A silver ball of energy with a ring around it appeared in front of the girl's hands before she threw it at the dragon. Ises mentally cursed. _"I can't use Tormour while that twit is so close to Drax and Scamour didn't work against their last attack." _She smirked, "We'll just 'ave to fight fire with fire then. Destromour!"

Drax opened his mouth and fired a large red blast of energy at the smaller mamodo's spell. When the two collided, there was a massive explosion. Derrick quickly grabbed his partner and ran before they could get caught up in the blast.

After the air cleared, the two saw Drax with his skin emitting steam due to him being so close to the blast. Besides that, the dragon appeared to be unharmed.

The football player cursed, "Damn. What the hell is that thing made of? Steel?" He set Alice down once he checked to see if she had been injured. The jock was still breathing heavily due to the pain from his wound. _"We've gotta finish this fight now. I don't think I can read more than two spells with what heart energy I have left."_

Alice watched her partner with worried eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Derrick-kun? You don't look so good."

Derrick chuckled, "I'm okay, but we need to end this battle, Alice. I don't have much heart energy left. Don't worry, I have a plan. Lend me your ears." The black haired teen leaned down and whispered something to the child.

His partner grinned, "As expected of Derrick-kun! But what if they don't move how we think they will?"

The football player winked, "I have a feeling they will. If not, we'll just have to hope it still works. You ready?"

Alice nodded, "Whenever you are, Derrick-kun!"

Ises frowned, "What are those twits up to? Whatever they're planning, it won't work after we use this. Shoketmour!"

Once again, Drax's body became covered with lightning armor as he charged at an incredible speed toward the other mamodo and her partner. While he was running, Derrick yelled, "Kironu!"

The silver haired girl raised her hands and fired a blast of silver spiraling energy at the dragon which the larger mamodo quickly dodged using his speed.

Ises smirked, "You must be getting desperate using a weak attack like that." Her eyes widened when she saw the silver energy blast head straight for her. "W-what?"

Derrick grinned, "Who said we were aiming for your partner? You were the target all along. Even though I hate attacking ladies, it was our only choice. Please forgive me."

Instead of hitting Ises, Alice's spell was swatted away by Drax's tail who suddenly appeared in front of his partner. The dragon growled as he bared his fangs at those who dared to attack his partner.

The purple haired girl shook off her surprised expression and once again smirked, "Not bad but you forgot 'ow fast Drax can be with 'is lightning armor." Ises narrowed her eyes. "You'll pay for that, you twit."

Derrick smiled, "Don't be so sure. After all, I wouldn't just attack a lady such as yourself without knowing for sure that you'd be alright. I knew your mamodo would do that. In fact, we were planning on it. Now, Alice!"

Grey eyes widened when she saw Alice appear out of nowhere right in front of her and Drax. "I-Impossible! 'ow did she get 'ere so fast? I didn't even see 'er move!"

It was Derrick's turn to smirk. "When your partner turned to help you, Alice latched onto him before he took off. I guess he was too busy protecting you to notice her presence. Sorry about this, Ises-chan. Giganto Kirouru!"

Alice lifted her arms and a massive ball of silver energy with rings appeared above her. She jumped backwards and threw the energy ball with all of her might.

Drax moved in front of his partner to guard her as she called out. "Scamour!" The dragon's scales became a shield for them as Alice's spell hit.

When the attack hit the large mamodo, it created an explosion even bigger than the one that was made earlier. Unfortunately for Drax, the attack was too powerful for his defensive spell and he was blown away along with his partner.

After the smoke cleared, Ises could be seen lying on the floor unconscious with a burning dark red book at her side. On the other side of her, a fading Drax was leaning over her rubbing his snout against his partner's still form. With a final roar, the dragon disappeared.

Alice ran over to Derrick and tackled him with a hug. "We did it, Derrick-kun! We won! Your plan worked perfectly!"

The football player was knocked down due to his mamodo's strength and winced when he felt a jolt of pain from his wound. Of course he didn't tell the girl about his pain. Instead, Derrick just smiled, "Of course we won. You're gonna be the mamodo king remember? We can't have you losing against some giant dragon."

His partner blushed, "R-right! How are you feeling, Derrick-kun?"

Derrick patted the child's head. "A little sore, but let's worry about that later. We've got some girls to find."

Alice stopped the jock from standing back up. When he saw her determined stare, the black haired teen knew he wasn't gonna get away just like that. "You stay here, Derrick-kun. I'll look for something we can use to wrap your wound."

The football player sighed, "We don't have time for that, Alice. Besides, where are you gonna find something like that? This room's totally trashed."

Instead of replying, the silver haired girl ran over to where the old dresser they saw earlier once stood. Due to Drax's rampage, it had been destroyed, but one of the drawers was still intact. Inside it, she found some really old clothes that were covered with dust.

When Derrick saw what his partner was carrying, he quickly shook his head. "Oh no, you are not using that to wrap my injury."

Alice tilted her head in confusion. "Why not, Derrick-kun? We need to stem the bleeding. You've already lost a lot of blood."

The black haired teen crossed his arms. "No way. I'd rather pass out from blood loss than have that tied around my wound."

"Aw come on, Derrick-kun. You're being silly."

Derrick gaped at his friend. "Alice, you do know what that is you're holding, right?"

Alice nodded, "It's a dress. What's wrong with it?"

In her arms, the child held a long dress decorated with flower patterns. Due to its old age, the colors were faded, but it looked like the dress used to be blue while the flowers appeared to be multi-colored.

The football player sweatdropped. "Couldn't you have found something less girly instead?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but this was all I could find that we could use. Now, please sit still." The girl began to shred the dress since it was too long to use as a bandage.

Derrick waved his hands dramatically. "I'm fine. Really!" He froze when he saw his friend's tear-filled eyes. "Alice?"

Alice bit her lip as she tried to blink away her tears. "Please let me treat your wound, Derrick-kun. It was my fault that you got injured. If you weren't trying to protect me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. At least let me make it up to you by helping you."

The black haired teen pulled the child into a hug. "It wasn't your fault, Alice. I don't blame you so you shouldn't blame yourself. You know I'd do anything to keep you safe."

His partner rubbed her eyes. "I know that, Derrick-kun. I just wish I could've protected you better. A mamodo is supposed to keep their book owner safe from harm."

Derrick gave her a warm smile. "What are you talking about? You did a great job protecting me. You took that dragon on singlehandedly after he attacked me. I'm very proud of you, Alice."

Alice looked up at him with wide eyes. "R-really?"

The jock grinned, "Really. I couldn't have asked for a better partner."

The silver haired girl tightened her grip on the teen. "Thank you, Derrick-kun."

Derrick continued to grin. "Anytime, Alice."

"Does this mean I can wrap your wound now?"

The only response Alice received was a loud groan.

* * *

**Ises and Drax are the awesome creations of Magic Jac. Thank you for the characters! I hope I did them justice X ) Sorry I didn't use all of the spells you gave me. Right now I'm only having mamodo in my story have around 6 spells since its so early in the battle.**

**If you guys were wondering about Ises' dialogue, it's like that on purpose. You see Ises has a British accent so I attempted to make her sound British. I apologize if I didn't do a good job with her accent, Magic Jac. I'm not British so I have no idea how they speak lol I hope it was alright.**

**The reason I took so long with this chapter was because it took me forever to decide how I was gonna have little Alice fight a gigantic dragon. Hopefully it turned out ok. I always enjoy writing about Alice kicking butt X D**


	17. From Bad to Worse

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**I'm alive! I'm so so so so times infinity sorry for taking so long! I won't make any excuses. I can only hope giving you guys my longest chapter ever will help you to forgive me. I promise I'll do my best to never take so long ever again. I did not mean to take so long. Please forgive me! Also thank you guys so much for all your wonderful reviews! And a special thanks to Vstriker for being my sixtieth review and to Iron-Arm-V for getting him to be my sixtieth review haha : )**

**Finally here is chapter 17 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**_

* * *

_

A loud chuckle interrupted their thoughts. "Do you like it? I had it prepared just for you. You see I have a little game planned for you. It's very simple, so it shouldn't be too hard for you four to play. All you need to do is make it to the center of the maze and you win!"

_Leon frowned, "Oh yeah real simple. There are probably tons of booby traps waiting for us as soon as we walk in there."_

_Kai yawned, "We're doomed."_

_His brother sighed, "You really need to work on that attitude of yours, little brother."_

_Orion continued to chuckle. "The maze wouldn't be as fun without a few challenges here and there. Now that you know the rules of the game, we can start."_

_Haley bit her lip. "Why do I have a feeling that there are more than just a few simple booby traps in there? This isn't gonna be easy."_

"_Now let the games begin!"_

Seeing as how the group had no other choice since the maze took up almost the entire room, the group reluctantly walked into the large maze in front of them.

The four kept quiet as they surveyed the area looking for anything that resembled a booby trap or an enemy mamodo. A few minutes passed in silence as nothing seemed to happen.

Haley scratched her head. "Well that's anti-climatic, I was sure there would be things like land mines or something in here as soon as we stepped inside this thing."

Kai rolled his eyes when he heard his partner mention land mines. "I doubt he'd use something as extreme as that though it's true we know next to nothing about this guy. I'm sure he's got something hidden in this maze that's just waiting to come out and kill us."

Toshiro sighed, "You're very depressing, Kai. You really need to work on that pessimistic attitude of yours."

The wind mamodo glared at his brother who only chuckled in response. Leon shook his head. "Don't let your guard down just yet, Haley. There are probably no traps at the beginning of the maze in order to give us a false sense of security. I'm sure something is gonna happen soon."

Right as the word's left the older teen's lips, his partner took another step forward and an explosion occurred. Leon pushed his sister behind him as he tried to move toward where his partner was. The girl grabbed her brother not wanting him to get hurt by whatever caused the explosion.

There was collective cry of "Toshiro!" from the trio as they watched the smoke from the explosion clear. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the older mamodo completely encased in ice. Not only that, the whole area surrounding Toshiro was covered in ice. It was only by pure luck that the others weren't caught up in the blast.

Haley gaped, "How the hell did that happen? Why is Toshiro suddenly a popsicle?"

Leon began banging on the ice as he attempted to free his partner. "Toshiro!"

Surprisingly, Kai wore a very calm expression. His eyes narrowed as he began to think. _"Right as Nii-san's foot touched the floor, I swore I saw something that looked like a sapphire. Then suddenly it went off when Nii-san came to close to it. What the hell was that? A mamodo's spell?"_

Haley joined her brother in trying to free their frozen friend before glaring at her unresponsive partner. "Kai! What are you doing just standing there? Help us free your brother!"

The black haired teen shook his head as if waking from a trance before giving the girl a bored stare. "Why? Nii-san can take care of himself, Haley. I doubt he'd want me to help him anyway."

As if proving his point, the ice surrounding Toshiro began to shake before it suddenly shattered. The redheads watched in surprise as the older mamodo stretched after knocking off the rest of the ice still clinging to his body.

He grinned when he saw their shocked faces. "What? You didn't actually think that would be able to stop me did you? Don't forget, I have ice spells of my own. Back in the mamodo world, I went through a lot of training to better myself including making my body more resistant to ice attacks since I'd be using them in battle. It would be bad if some mamodo were able to somehow able to knock my own spell back at me and be able to incapacitate me with it."

Leon simple shook his head and smiled at his partner. "I wish you would've told me that sooner, so I could've avoided having a heart attack."

Hazel eyes began to sparkle in admiration. "Wow very impressive. Now if only you had the will to train like that, Kai."

Kai rolled his eyes as his brother smirked, "Actually, that particular training Kai took part in."

Haley gave the older mamodo a surprised look. "Really? How the hell did you manage that? Did you bribe him or something?"

The wind mamodo scowled as he glared at his brother. "Nii-san promised he'd leave me alone for a whole month and not mess with me when I napped if I went through that ridiculous training with him."

The red haired girl whistled, "Wow a whole month, no wonder you went through with it."

Knowing how his partner was when it concerned his little brother, Leon sighed, "Let me guess. He didn't keep his promise?"

Kai's glare intensified while Toshiro wore a sheepish smile. "He could only hold out for two weeks! Two damn weeks! Then he was back to his usual routine of bugging me with challenges or more different types of training!"

The older mamodo wore a sad expression. "I tried to keep my promise. I did! But I was so bored! We lived out in the middle of a damn forest, so they weren't too many people to interact with. The closest village was over an hour away! Who else was I supposed to hang out with?"

The wind mamodo continued to scowl. "Anyone else! No one was stopping you from walking over to the nearby village. Or you could've just trained by yourself. Be one of the mamodo who stay secluded on mountains for months as they train."

"What do you think I was doing for those two weeks I wasn't with you? After two weeks, I had completed my training, so there wasn't anything left for me to do!"

Haley tried her best to keep herself from laughing when she saw Toshiro almost pout. _"I'm starting to wonder who the actual older brother between the two is." _"Now, now you two no need to fight. Besides, we have something more important to deal with at the moment, remember?"

Knowing his partner was right, Kai sighed, "I know, Haley. Get rid of that sad look, Nii-san. You know I've already forgiven you for breaking your promise."

Toshiro frowned, "Yeah after ignoring me for over a week, you finally spoke to me. Then why were you so mad just now if you'd already forgiven me?"

Once again, a scowl appeared on the younger mamodo's face. "Because it still pisses me off whenever I'm reminded of it."

Leon shook his head. "Just leave it be, Toshiro. It's your fault for breaking your promise despite whatever reasons you had to do so. Let's just keep moving."

Haley clapped her hands together. "He's right. We have no time to be arguing with each other. Remember, the faster we get out of this maze the faster we can find Orion and kick his ass."

The two mamodo shared a look before nodding. Once again, the group began to move forward except they walked with more caution as they searched for any more hidden traps.

Sapphire eyes narrowed when he caught sight of a blue blur. They soon widened when he saw the blur drop a ruby in his partner's path. Kai quickly tackled Haley right before the ruby touched the ground and exploded.

Both Leon and Toshiro grew wide-eyed before running over to check on their younger siblings. Luckily, Kai managed to move Haley and himself far enough away to avoid getting injured by the blast.

Haley tried to wave away the smoke caused by the explosion as she coughed, "W-what the hell was that?"

The wind mamodo slowly moved off of his partner and brought them into a sitting position. He sighed, "It seems we're not the only ones in this maze. Did you see it too, Nii-san?"

Toshiro crouched down by the two and nodded, "Yeah but they were moving too fast for me to be able to get a good look at them. All I saw was a blur. What about you?"

Kai scratched his head. "Same here. I could only see a blue blur drop what appeared to be a ruby. It appears we're dealing with a mamodo who likes to use the old hit and run strategy."

Leon helped his sister to her feet. "So what should we do? If the mamodo moves so fast you guys can't even see them, then how are we supposed to stop them?"

Before either mamodo could respond, they froze after noticing something in the air. Both redheads looked up curiously and paled when they saw ten rubies falling straight towards them.

The older book owner grabbed his sister and began to run. "Run!" The two mamodo immediately followed after their partners just barely avoiding the large blasts created by the rubies.

Even after they cleared the blasts, the group kept running not once letting up on their speed. Haley pulled her hand from her brother's grasp but continued to run at a fast pace. "So what's the plan? We can't run like this forever. If we keep running blindly, we might run into a dead end."

Kai wore a concentrated expression before finally answering. "We need to find the other book owner. If we find the book owner, the mamodo shouldn't be able to use those spells so carelessly. But since they probably already thought of that, the book owner is probably well hidden. Our best bet is to outlast them. They can only cast so many spells. If we're lucky, they'll use up all their heart energy chasing us."

Toshiro nodded, "He's right. Fighting an explosive mamodo is one thing, but one with speed like that and bomb-type spells is another. The safest way to fight them is to just out run them. We can't afford to slow down and risk our book owners getting caught in those explosions."

Haley sighed, "I had a feeling you'd say something like that. Oh well if that's the only choice we have then let's do it."

Leon chuckled, "Don't sound so depressed. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to fight soon enough, Haley."

Kai rolled his eyes before turning to his partner. "That reminds me. Try not to use many of our spells while we're in this maze, Haley. If we wanna stand a chance against Orion, we'll need to save your heart energy."

She gave him a thumbs-up. "You got it, but what about that other mamodo? How are we supposed to fight it off with only a few of our spells?"

Leon smirked, "You just leave that to us, little sister. Remember, you're not the only ones fighting here. Just leave this mamodo to Toshiro and me. Right, Toshiro?"

Toshiro wore a similar smirk. "Of course. After all, it is our responsibility to look after our little siblings. Besides, this will mean Kai will owe me for helping him."

Kai scowled, "Owe you? I don't remember asking you for help, Nii-san. I'd rather not owe you anything."

The older mamodo shrugged, "Suit yourself. If you don't want my help, then I guess you can fight this mamodo and Orion by yourself."

The younger teen glared at his brother. "Fine, but only because it would be too much trouble for me to fight them both on my own."

Toshiro smiled, "I had a feeling you'd say something like that."

Haley rolled her eyes at the two mamodo's behavior. She along with the other three came to a stop when they reached a fork in the path. So far the group had been running aimlessly trying to escape the other mamodo's attacks, but seeing as they hadn't been attacked in a while the group decided it was best to stop to think over where to head next. "So do we go right or left?"

The boys were silent as they thought over which direction would help lead them to the center of the maze. Finally, after a few minutes had passed, Kai pointed to the right. "I say we go right."

The only girl of the group tilted her head in confusion. "How come?"

Kai sighed, "Because I can hear the wind move more smoothly on that side. By the sounds of it, the left path leads to a dead end."

Toshiro gave his brother a hard pat on the back nearly knocking the younger teen over. "Good job, Kai! Looks like those sharp ears of yours are becoming really handy."

Leon grinned, "Not bad. Well now that that's settled let's get moving."

Only a few minutes after the four began walking down the right path, the group heard what sounded like a child giggling from above. Everyone looked up but only saw a familiar blue blur. Before they could act, the blur threw what appeared to be four topazes at the group.

Leon opened the sky blue book and shouted, "Mizurudo!"

Toshiro raised his hands as a large geyser surrounded the group and protected them as the topazes shot out lightning bolts in all directions. After what seemed like forever, the lightning bolts stopped and the water shield faded.

The water mamodo wiped the sweat off his brow. "Whew that was close. I wasn't sure if my shield would be able to last any longer. Is the mamodo gone?"

Kai nodded, "Yeah as soon as they dropped the topazes they vanished. My guess is that mamodo goes back to the book owner to discuss what spell to use next. The book owner probably can't see where we are so he doesn't know what spell to use."

Haley scratched her head. "Well I guess that's good for us. While they're planning, we can keep moving forward."

Leon closed the book. "Yeah that's our best bet. So let's get out of here before that mamodo comes back. Kai, you lead the way."

The wind mamodo sighed, "How troublesome."

The group took off following the younger mamodo's lead as he used his sharp ears to pick which direction was the best to head. After running for almost ten minutes, Kai abruptly came to a halt and raised his arms to make the others also stop.

Before they could question him, the three watched wide-eyed as an arrow landed right where Kai would've been. The arrow exploded right when it made contact with the floor. Luckily, the younger mamodo jumped back just in time to avoid getting hit.

Haley gaped, "What the hell? First it's exploding jewels and now it's exploding arrows? What's next?"

Kai grabbed his partner and began running as more exploding arrows flew towards them. "Let's not sit around and find out."

Leon clenched his teeth. "If only we could see that damn mamodo, then we would at least be able to fight back. We're at a total disadvantage!"

Toshiro snapped his fingers as he came to a halt. "That's it! Leon, read the third spell!"

The redhead brought out the sky blue book as a wicked smirk dawned his features. "I see where you're getting at, Toshiro. That'll definitely slow that mamodo down. Aisumera!"

The older mamodo placed his hands on the floor quickly covering it with ice. Soon even the walls, like the floor, were completely iced over.

"Let me go!"

The group looked up and saw a little girl, no older than ten, standing on top of the wall to their right. It appeared her feet were frozen to the wall thanks to Toshiro's spell. The little girl had long flowing cerulean blue hair, and she wore a bright yellow shirt with a light blue skirt. What really stood out about the girl were her eyes which were rainbow colored. In her hand, she was holding a multi-colored bow.

Haley grinned, "Well look what we have here. The mysterious mamodo that's been attacking us this whole time is a little girl. Weren't you ever taught that it's not nice to throw bombs at strangers?"

The cerulean haired girl brought up her bow and began to shoot arrows at them. "S-shut up, you big meanie!"

Leon quickly read another spell as they dodged the arrows. "Mizuteron!"

Toshiro lifted his right hand and fired a large blast of water at the little girl. The attack hit the unmoving target knocking the bow out of her hand.

Kai sighed, "Well at least now she can shoot at us anymore."

The child began to cry catching everyone off guard. "You guys are so mean! Let me go, you big bullies! Help me, Sora-nii!"

The four had to cover their ears because of the child's loud wailing. Apparently her book owner was able to hear her because the four heard an unfamiliar voice shout. "Hang on, Jewel! Gradius!"

A ruby appeared in Jewel's hand which she quickly threw at the floor near the wall she was standing on. When it made the contact, the ruby exploded destroying the wall and freeing the child.

The cerulean haired mamodo stuck her tongue out before running off. She moved so fast leaving the others unable to attack her.

Haley scratched her head. "Well that didn't go as planned. I didn't think the book owner would be close enough to hear his partner."

Kai yawned, "I dunno. He could've been in China and still be able to hear that kid crying. Damn she was loud."

Leon rubbed his ear. "Yeah if she kept crying like that, I think I would've lost my hearing."

Toshiro chuckled, "Agreed. So what do we do now?"

His brother shrugged, "Just keep walking I guess. The sooner we get out of this place the better."

The other agreed and began walking with Kai taking lead. A half an hour later, the group found themselves in what appeared to be the center of the maze. It was a large open area covered in grass for some reason. There was a large white gazebo to the far left along with some flowers and bushes planted around the area.

Haley looked around in confusion. "Okay I don't even wanna know how they managed to put a gazebo in this place."

Leon narrowed his eyes. "Something's not right. It can't be this easy. We just finished walking for half an hour and that little girl didn't attack us once. What's going on?"

Kai wore a serious expression. "You're right. This game isn't over. Until we defeat that mamodo, I doubt Orion will let us out of here. They're probably hiding somewhere around here waiting to catch us off guard."

Toshiro nodded, "That's most likely the case. They've probably already set up a trap for us, so we should be careful."

As soon as the words left the water mamodo's lips, a familiar voice shouted, "Raika! Arias Ariano!"

The group tensed when they saw arrows flying straight toward them. The mamodo quickly grabbed their partners and jumped out of the way barely avoiding the explosions caused by the arrows.

They continued to move as more arrows appeared. While dodging, the four kept scanning the area looking for the source of the arrows. It appeared the arrows were coming from every direction.

Haley clenched her teeth after barely avoiding another arrow. "That's it. It's time we fight back. I'm gonna use a spell, Kai. Chisokumera!"

Kai's body gave off a silver glow as he sighed, "Guess we have no choice." He quickly disappeared while Haley kept running to dodge the arrows.

Jewel, who was running along the tops of the walls while shooting her arrows, frowned, "Where'd mister spiky head go?"

"You looking for me?"

The cerulean haired girl froze when Kai appeared in front of her. She grew wide-eyed. "H-how?"

He smirked, "You're not the only one with a speed spell. Now how about you drop that bow of yours? I'd rather not have to hit a little girl."

Jewel stuck out her tongue as she aimed her bow at the older mamodo. "No way, spiky head. I don't listen to bullies." She fired an arrow at the black haired teen, but he quickly vanished before the arrow could hit him.

The child stomped her foot angrily. "No fair!"

"You're one to talk. Running around throwing bombs at us using your super speed."

Before she could react, Jewel was being lifted into the air by the collar of her shirt. Kai jumped down from the wall and began walking over to the others. "Now be a good little brat and stay still."

The cerulean haired mamodo tried to shoot another arrow at her captor, but Toshiro grabbed her arm and pulled the bow out of her tight grasp. "Hey! Give that back! That's mine!"

He shook his head. "Sorry, kid. But there's no way I'm handing this over after all the trouble you've given us."

Haley's eyes widened when she saw a pair of arms from the nearby bushes swing a bamboo sword at her partner. "Kai, watch out!" She swiftly moved into the sword's path and caught it with her hands.

Determined hazel eyes met surprised emerald eyes as she moved the sword to the side and head butted the boy in front of her. He let out a cry of pain as he fell backwards.

The boy had amber brown hair and looked to be about a year younger than Haley. He was wearing a white t-shirt and grey jogging pants. Jewel, who was still being held by Kai, began to cry. "Sora-nii! Leave him alone, you big bully!"

Haley sweatdropped, "She's not serious is she?"

Leon shrugged, "Looks like it. By the way, what were you thinking catching that sword like that? You could've gotten hurt!"

The red haired girl sighed, "I'm fine. It was only a bamboo sword, so it's not like it could cut me." She knelt down by Jewel's partner who was rubbing his head. "Hey are you alright? Sorry about the head butt, it was a reflex."

Sora winced, "Some crazy reflex you got there." He was about to move away from the older girl, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Haley smiled, "Relax. We have no intentions of hurting you or your partner as long as you don't attack us. Go ahead and put the kid down, Kai."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that, Haley? As soon as we let her go, she might try to attack us again."

Toshiro nodded, "You shouldn't let your guard down, Haley. Remember, they're working for Orion."

Haley turned to the younger boy beside her and stared at him. Sora blushed slightly at the redhead's intense gaze. After a few minutes, she grinned, "He seems like a good guy to me. He's got good honest eyes. I don't think we have to worry about him."

Kai shrugged, "Whatever." He gently released the child who immediately stomped on his foot before running over to his partner. "Damn brat!"

Jewel jumped into Sora's arms and cried, "Sora-nii! Are you ok? I'm sorry I got caught. Spiky head cheated!"

Sora patted her head. "I'm fine, Jewel. Don't worry about me. What about you? You're not hurt are you?"

The cerulean haired mamodo shook her head. "Nuh uh."

He smiled, "That's good." The amber haired boy turned to the red haired girl who was still sitting beside him. "Thank you. But how'd you know we weren't like the rest of Orion's followers?"

Haley grinned, "Well besides what I said about your eyes, I guess you could call it my women's intuition. You two just didn't seem like people who would follow a bastard like him."

Jewel nodded, "We're not bad people! We're only helping creepy eyes because he has Mama! He won't give us back Mama unless we does as he says!"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Mama?"

Sora clenched his fists. "She's talking about my mother. Orion kidnapped my mother a few days ago while she was walking home from work. He said we had to fight for him, or he'd eat her soul. We had no choice."

The amber haired boy and his partner jumped in surprise when Haley punched the ground beside them. "Damn that bastard! How can he go around kidnapping people like that? We can't let him get away with this!"

Jewel wiped her eyes and crawled over to Haley. "C-can you save Mama, Nee-chan?"

The red haired girl looked up in surprise before smiling warmly. She pulled the girl into a hug and said, "Of course we will, Jewel. We'll save your mama and send Orion back to the mamodo world."

Kai's lips curved upwards as he shook his head. "You just can't stop yourself from making promises like that can you? Oh well we were planning on saving all the captives anyway."

Leon smiled, "That's my sister for ya. For some reason, she always seems to get along well with little kids."

Sora wore a surprised expression. "You guys are actually willing to help us? Even though we attacked you?"

Toshiro shrugged, "Like my brother said, we were already planning on saving the people Orion kidnapped, so it's no big deal. Besides, it's not like you guys wanted to attack us anyway. You only did it to try to save your mother. It's not like we could get mad at you for that."

Haley grinned, "That's right! Besides, that's what friends are for! My name's Haley Storm. It's nice to meet you two."

Jewel smiled, "My name's Jewel Winterfrost. Nice to meet you, Haley-nee!"

Her partner was also smiling. "My name's Takemichi Sora*. Thank you for wanting to help us, Haley-san."

The older girl wagged her finger. "I may be older than you, but you don't have to call me 'Haley-san'. You can just call me Haley and I'll call you Sora, deal?"

Sora blushed, "T-that's fine. Then how about 'Haley-senpai'?"

Haley laughed, "That's ok with me. How about I introduce the others to you? That guy with the spiky black hair is my mamodo, Kai. The other black haired guy is his older brother, Toshiro. And that red haired guy is my older brother, Leon."

All the boys nodded when their names where called while Sora nodded in return. Jewel ran over to Kai. "I'm sorry for stepping on your foot, Kai-san."

When he saw her give him a watery-eyed look, Kai simply sighed, "It's alright. It didn't hurt that much."

Toshiro smirked, "Aw is my little brother becoming a softy? How cute."

The wind mamodo glared at his brother. "Shut up, Nii-san."

After helping Sora and Haley to their feet, Leon asked, "So how are we supposed to get out of this place?"

Sora dusted off his pants. "Don't worry, there's a secret passage that can lead you out of here. That's how Jewel and I got in here in the first place. Orion showed us the passage and told us to take care of you guys."

Haley frowned, "Are you sure it's alright to show it to us? You might get in trouble if you do. I'd hate to put your mom's safety at risk because you helped us."

The amber haired boy waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. We were ordered to tell you about it if you beat us, so it's no big deal. I used up the last of my heart energy with that last spell anyway, so it's not like we could really fight you anymore. That's why we stopped attacking you earlier in order to save up my heart energy."

Kai nodded in understanding. "I thought so. So where's the hidden passageway?"

Jewel began waving her hands furiously. "I know! I know! I'll show you where it is! Follow me!"

The group watched as the child ran over to the gazebo and pushed the table in the center of it revealing a large hole. She grinned triumphantly as she pointed at the hole. "Ta da! Just go down there and you'll find creepy eyes' room!"

Toshiro chuckled, "Creepy eyes?"

Sora laughed, "Yeah that's what Jewel calls Orion. Can't say that I blame her though. His eyes are pretty freaky."

Kai rolled his eyes. _"Jewel's eyes are rainbow colored. That's not exactly normal either."_

Haley walked over to the hole and looked down in it. There was a pair of wooden stairs that lead down, but she couldn't see the end of the staircase because of the darkness. "What room is Orion in?"

Sora scratched his head. "I'm pretty sure it's the mansion's ballroom. It's always dark whenever we're in there, but it's so large that I can't think of any other room it could be."

Leon raised an eyebrow after looking into the hole. "How will this take us to the ballroom? We already fell down through that trap door, so how will going further down take us upstairs?"

The amber haired boy shook his head. "It may look like it's going down, but it's only like that for a few minutes. Then there's another tunnel you go through which will lead you to a set of stairs that'll take you up. Don't ask me why he has a passageway like that. I have no idea."

Jewel giggled, "Creepy eyes is really weird. So are we going to save Mama now, Sora-nii?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah. We may not be able to use spells, but that doesn't mean we're done. We're not leaving without Mom."

Haley gave him a pat on the back. "That's the spirit! While we deal with Orion, you two can slip away and go look for your mother and everyone else who's been held captive. Don't worry, we have some other friends that are looking for them as we speak."

Jewel wore an excited expression. "We get to make more friends? Yay! Let's go, Sora-nii!"

Sora simply smiled as he shook his head. He followed the child as she began climbing down the stairs in the hole. "We'll lead the way for you guys since we've already been through here before."

Haley grinned as she grabbed her partner. "Come on, Kai. This should be fun."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Define fun."

She ignored her partner as she climbed into the hole and her partner reluctantly followed. Leon and Toshiro shared an amused look before going after their siblings.

Finally, after over half an hour of walking and climbing, the four reached the trap door that would lead them into the ballroom where Orion most likely was waiting for them. For all they knew, he could be right by the trap door prepared to attack as soon as the door was lifted.

Jewel, who was more focused on saving Sora's mother, simply flung the trap door open and climbed out. Sora apologized before going after his partner. The others shared a look before following the amber haired teen.

Like Sora had mentioned, the room was almost completely dark. The only sources of light were a few candles lit around the room. When the group saw how large the room was, the four couldn't help but agree with Sora's reasoning that it was once a ballroom. It only made sense since a mansion wouldn't need a room this big unless it was for something like parties or dancing.

A few minutes passed as everyone surveyed their surroundings when suddenly the lights came on blinding the three book owners and their mamodo. They slowly opened their eyes once they were able to adjust to the sudden change in light.

A loud chuckle caught the group's attention causing everyone to stiffen. In the center of the room was a large golden throne with a familiar red-eyed figure sitting in it. Right by the throne, there stood a brown haired man who was holding a beige colored book.

When they saw the two figures, the three book owners immediately opened their books and got into a defensive position with the mamodo standing in front of their partners in a protective manner. Once again, Orion chuckled, "Not happy to see me? And here I was looking forward to your visit. Oh well no matter. Welcome to my home. I hope you had no trouble getting here."

Haley scowled as she took a step forward. "Can the pleasantries! All we care about is kicking your ass. We're not here for a social visit."

The red-eyed mamodo wore a mock-hurt expression. "That's too bad. I was hoping we'd get to enjoy ourselves awhile before we fight. Oh well I guess it can't be helped. Good job in bringing them here, Jewel. And here I thought you would prove to be no use to me, I guess I was wrong."

Jewel stuck out her tongue. "I didn't bring them here because you wanted me to, creep eyes. I'm here to save Mama! Tell me where she is!"

An unfamiliar emotion passed through Orion's eyes before he suddenly disappeared. The group quickly began to survey the area looking for the evil mamodo who had vanished from their sight.

Then as soon as he disappeared, the silver haired mamodo reappeared in front of Jewel and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. Still unable to use a spell, Sora instead brought out his bamboo sword and attacked the red-eyed teen. "Hang on, Jewel!"

Red eyes flickered momentarily to the side where the amber haired teen was attacking. Swiftly, Orion brought out his left hand-his free hand- and punched Sora in the gut knocking the air out of his lungs. Immediately after the punch, the silver haired teen kicked the book owner in the side knocking him into the wall behind him.

Sora hit the wall so hard he created a large dent in it. As soon as he hit the wall, the emerald-eyed teen collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Rainbow eyes widened. "Sora-nii! No, Sora-nii! Let me go, creep eyes! I'll make you pay for hurting Sora-nii!" Before she could yell any further, she was stopped by malicious red eyes. While still holding the child with his right hand, Orion began punching the girl with his left hand in rapid succession.

"Mizuteron!"

"Kazedron!"

The red-eyed mamodo stopped his assault and jumped back to avoid the water and wind attacks aimed at him. Once he was back on the ground, he quickly let go of Jewel and threw the unconscious child to the side where her partner lay.

When he turned his attention back the two redheads and their partners, Orion was met with four sets of furious expressions and glaring eyes. He smirked, "What's this? Are you upset that I hurt those two? I would think you wouldn't care considering they tried to kill you earlier."

Haley continued to glare at the mamodo. "Shut the hell up, you bastard! They're our friends! You won't get away with hurting them!"

Leon nodded, "We may have only known them for a short while, but those two were good people. The only reason they attacked us was because you kidnapped Sora's mother. And that is unforgivable. I'll make you pay for taking her, Minoru's parents, and Hikaru's sister."

Orion smirked, "Ah I see both Hikaru and Minoru have big mouths. I would think they'd keep quiet for their loved ones' sake. Oh well I'll just steal the souls of the girl and the parents along with that brat's mother once this is over with."

Toshiro took a step forward. "That's not gonna happen. When this battle is over, you're gonna be back in the mamodo world where you can't hurt humans anymore."

Kai cracked his knuckles. "Agreed. Things aren't gonna work out like you've planned, Orion. It ends here."

The smirk on the silver haired mamodo's face fell and was replaced with a frown. "I see. Well I guess I should give you some fair warning. It would do you good not to underestimate me."

The group fell silent as the mamodo continued to stare each other down. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Toshiro rushed forward and aimed a flurry of punches at the younger mamodo in front of him.

Orion swooped and swerved dodging all of the older teen's attacks. When he jumped back, he barely had time to avoid a sudden punch by Kai who appeared out of nowhere. The younger teen smirked, "Not bad. As expected from two brothers to have such good teamwork."

The two black haired teens' only reply was continuing to attack the red-eyed mamodo with their fists. Leon grinned, "I think it's time we lend a hand, Haley. Giga Mizuaisu!"

Kai jumped back as Toshiro lifted his right hand and fired a large blast of water at Orion who simply moved to the side to avoid it. Unfortunately for him, the silver haired teen underestimated the speed of the spell and got his left arm caught in the spell when he tried to dodge.

His left arm immediately froze and became covered in ice as soon as the water made contact with it. Orion frowned as he continued to dodge the other attacks aimed at him despite his handicap.

Haley smiled, "Nice one! It's our turn now, Kai! Chisokumera!"

Kai's body emitted a silver glow as he ran at a remarkable speed towards the younger mamodo. Orion tried to attack with his good hand but only hit air when the wind mamodo disappeared. The red-eyed teen could only defend as a barrage of fists attacked him from his right.

Smirking, Orion brought up his frozen arm and used it as a shield. As he predicted, the ice on his arm shattered after being hit by a few punches from Kai. Unexpectedly, the silver haired mamodo suddenly became faster and easily avoided all of the older teen's attacks.

After a few seconds of dodging, Orion actually caught one of Kai's fists and immediately threw him right into Toshiro who was preparing to attack the red-eyed teen from behind. The book owners could only watch in stunned silence.

He smirked, "What? You didn't really think you could overwhelm me like that did you? I was only playing before, but now that I've gotten bored, I think it's time I got serious. But still, I don't think I'll use any of my spells right now or that would just end the fun too soon. So for now, I'll continue to use just my physical skills."

Haley clenched her teeth. _"He's underestimating us! That cheeky bastard!" _The girl froze when she saw Kai signaling to her. After a few seconds of trying to understand her partner, she grinned. _"I get it! Nice plan, Kai. That should definitely work. I can't wait to knock that smug look off that bastard's face."_

Leon blinked curiously when he felt his sister grab his arm. When he saw she wanted to tell him something, the older teen leaned down and listened as the girl began to whisper the plan to him. After she finished, both redheads were wearing matching smirks. "Sounds good to me."

She turned her attention back to their mamodo who were once again standing. "I thought you'd like it. So for now, we just need to leave this fight to those two until the time is right."

Orion watched the two book owners curiously. "Oh? What's this? Do the humans have a plan? Either way it won't work. I won't be beaten by something mere humans come up with."

Kai smirked, "You'd be surprised what 'mere humans' can do. I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you."

Toshiro wore a similar smirk. "My brother is correct. Our partners are very strong, so you shouldn't think lightly of them."

Orion shrugged, "Maybe so, but I'm not all that concerned by two humans. Though I must admit, I'm rather intrigued by that human girl. I think she'd make a perfect addition to my collection."

The red-eyed mamodo was surprised to find Kai right in front of him with a tight grip on his shirt. He was even more shocked to see such anger and hate in the older mamodo's eyes. "Don't even think about getting near my partner, you understand? If you so much as touch her, I'll kill you."

Toshiro wore a serious expression as he cracked his knuckles. "And he's not the only one."

Orion blinked before smirking. He quickly broke free from the other mamodo's grip using his speed and straightened his shirt. "I see. It looks like I've found the weak spot of the group. I wonder what you would do if I did steal her soul."

As expected, the only response the silver haired teen received was the two mamodo charging forward and attacking the younger mamodo. Orion brought up his left arm just in time to block a kick from Toshiro.

Before he could push the water mamodo away, the red-eyed teen lifted his right hand just in time to catch a punch from Kai. With both of his arms occupied, Orion was left at a standstill unable to stop his opponents as they aimed their free hands at him.

"Giga Mizuaisu!"

"Kazedron!"

Simultaneously, the brothers unleashed a water and wind attack at the defenseless mamodo. Orion's eyes darkened as he grabbed Toshiro's leg and tightened his grip on Kai's hand. Right before the attacks hit him, he ducked and swung his arms together knocking the two older mamodo into each other.

After he let go of the two mamodo, Orion began dusting himself off with an amused look on his face. "Not bad. You almost had me there. You'll have to do better than that though."

"Aisumera!"

"Giga Kazemaron!"

Instead of looking at the mamodo, the silver haired teen turned his attention toward the two book owners. "Persistent aren't you? It's no use. Those two should be unconscious after my last move."

Leon only smirked, "Think again, bastard."

Orion moved his gaze to where the fallen mamodo once were to find Toshiro standing and Kai missing. "Hmm impressive. You're stronger than I thought. So where's the other one? He didn't run away did he?"

"I'm up here, bastard!"

The red-eyed looked up just in time to see Kai swing a large sword made of wind at him. Orion tried to move, but when he looked down, he discovered his feet and part of his legs were covered in ice. "So that's what the other spell was for, I see. It looks like I'll have to use a spell of mine after all. Tatsuya, do it!"

"Reshieldo!"

Just before Kai's sword could make contact, a large mirror appeared in front of Orion blocking the attack. Before the wind mamodo could react, the spell actually went inside the mirror and was sent right back at him.

Hazel eyes widened. "Kai!" Haley attempted to run over to check on her partner but was stopped halfway by a familiar red-eyed figure. She growled, "You bastard!"

Orion smirked, "That's no way for a lady to talk, Haley. It looks like I need to teach you some manners. Tatsuya, read the spell!"

His partner grinned, "You mean that spell? Ooh this should be good. Spexamus!"

The silver haired mamodo's body began glowing brightly as he lifted both of his hands toward the red haired girl. When he put his hands together, he fired a bright white energy sphere straight towards the defenseless girl.

Haley froze. No matter how hard she tried her body wouldn't listen to her leaving her wide open for the oncoming attack. All she could do was tighten her grip on the silver book and do her best to protect it from the spell. _"My body won't move. Damn what's wrong with me? Kai, I'm sorry. I really wanted to make you king. I was reckless. Please forgive me."_

Kai, who was still on the ground recovering from being hit by his own spell, could only stare in horror as he watched the spell get closer to his partner. He tried to move-tried to run- to his partner but his body wouldn't move._ "Move dammit! I've gotta move! Haley's dead if that spell hits her! Please move. Please!"_

Despite his pleas, the wind mamodo could only get himself to stand but was still unable to move properly due to the pain caused by the last attack. Sapphire eyes widened in disbelief as the spell grew closer to the girl. "HALEY!"

Toshiro clenched his fists as he ran over toward the red haired girl. Unfortunately, he was too far away to be able to make it in time. Despite that, the water mamodo continued to run as he prayed for a miracle. Cerulean eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. _"No way. He's not actually thinking of doing that is he? Damn I've gotta move faster!"_

Haley clenched her eyes shut not wanting to see the smug look on Orion's face or when the spell hit her. Suddenly, she felt her body move as if being pushed. Hazel eyes opened quickly to see familiar emerald ones. Her brother simply smiled once he saw his sister was safe from harm.

Unfortunately, this left Leon in the line of fire of the attack. Haley could only watch in horror as the attack hit her brother straight on.

"LEON!"

* * *

***I think I'll just have all the Japanese characters introduce themselves this way (last name, first name) since that's how it supposed to go, but since Jewel's not Japanese and doesn't have a Japanese name I think I'll just leave her introduction the way it is : )**

**Jewel and Sora are the awesome creations of Windraider. Thanks again for all the awesome OCs! I'm sorry if I messed them up any. I hope I did them justice : ) I'm sorry I didn't really give your characters a big battle scene but I really wanted the others to save their heart energy for Orion. And since they're not bad people, I figure Haley and the others wouldn't wanna fight Jewel and Sora after they found out about Sora's mom.**

**I bet you guys were wondering about Toshiro's character change earlier in the chapter right? Well let me explain. Like you've seen before, Toshiro is usually a very serious guy but he does in fact have a sort of childish side which he'll only bring out when around his brother. He doesn't show this side to many people. In fact, the only people he'll show it too beside Kai would be his partner and Haley. I hope I didn't confuse you guys any when he started acting like that haha **

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter though I did leave you with an awful cliffhanger. Sorry about that I just couldn't help myself lol Don't worry I won't make you guys wait as long as last time to find out what happens next. ^-^**


	18. Orion's Power Unleashed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I would've finished it earlier but I was busy last night. Oh well I'm just glad it wasn't as bad as last time haha Thank you so much for all your awesome reviews! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter : ) And don't worry guys, I wasn't planning on giving Kai some big power boost which allows him to beat Orion easily. It's gonna be a pretty close fight all the way through X )**

**Now here's chapter 18 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**

* * *

For everyone there, it seemed as if time had slowed as Haley crashed to the floor from her brother pushing her out of the way taking the hit for her instead. To Haley, it felt as if her world was slowly beginning to crumble when she saw Leon fall after getting hit.

She could only watch numbly as her brother's body gave off a slight glow before a small green sphere emerged from the older teen's body. As soon as it appeared, the sphere disappeared after flying over to Orion and merging with one of the white, circular beads on the bracelet he wore.

Orion frowned, "Well that didn't go as planned. I wanted the girl's soul not that stupid boy's. Oh well a soul's a soul I guess."

Then as if time began to speed up again, Haley quickly got up and ran over to her brother as she screamed, "Leon!"

The red haired girl shook the body trying to wake him but gained no response. "Leon? Leon? Leon, please wake up! If this is some kind of joke, I'm not laughing! Leon, please don't do this!"

When she realized her words were having no effect on the fallen teen, Haley bit her lip as she tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. Her fists unconsciously clenched tighter onto her brother's shirt. _"No, this can't be happening! It can't!"_

Orion studied the girl as he moved closer to where she sat by the side of his new victim. When he saw her face, the red-eyed mamodo smirked, "How interesting. I would've never guessed you'd show me this kind of face. I guess stealing this fool's soul wasn't completely unproductive after all. Are you gonna cry, Haley? I wouldn't blame you. After all, it is your brother's body that's lying before you."

Haley bit her lip so hard it began to bleed. _"I will not show this guy any weakness. That's just what he wants. I won't let him win."_

Hazel eyes looked up showing no sign of tears instead they were filled with nothing but hatred for the monster before her. "You'll regret this, bastard. I won't ever forgive you. I'll do whatever it takes to stop you from becoming mamodo king."

The silver haired teen wagged his finger at her. "Now, now Haley you really shouldn't talk like that. Someone needs to teach you some manners. Someone like me." Orion was about to grab the girl when two separate fists made him jump back to avoid damage. He smirked, "Well what do you know? I didn't expect you to be moving so soon. Your name is Kai, correct?"

In front of Haley stood both Kai and Toshiro glaring hatefully at the red-eyed mamodo before them. Ignoring the younger mamodo, Kai turned to his partner and kneeled down to look her better in the eyes. "You alright, Haley? Sorry I wasn't fast enough. It's my fault this happened. I should've expected he'd use one of his spells when put in a situation like that."

The girl shook her head. "It's not your fault, Kai. If I had moved instead of just standing there like an idiot, Leon wouldn't be like this."

"It was Leon's choice, Haley. You know he would do anything to keep you safe. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Haley was about to disagree with Toshiro but stopped when she noticed the older mamodo's rigid posture. The cerulean-eyed teen was clenching his fists so tightly that they were bleeding. Her eyes softened. _"He wants nothing more than to tear Orion apart, but he's holding himself back. He knows getting angry won't solve anything, but still Leon was his partner."_ "I know."

Kai sighed, "You should take your own advice, Nii-san. You're blaming yourself just as much as Haley. But neither of you is at fault. If anyone's at fault, it's that red-eyed bastard over there."

Toshiro chuckled though the other two could tell there was no humor in it. "You're right as always, little brother. Even so, I still let Leon down by not protecting him. It's my responsibility to keep him and my book safe, and I failed him."

The wind mamodo clenched his teeth. _"I wanna say he's wrong, but then I would just be calling myself a hypocrite. After all, I'm still blaming myself for being unable to protect Haley. If it weren't for Leon, she would be the one lying there instead. If that had happened to her, I would have never been able to forgive myself."_

"Ow!"

The two brothers were brought out of their thoughts by a sudden pain in their heads caused by Haley hitting them. Kai rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

Haley, who was now standing, crossed her arms. "For being idiots. Even though you two say I shouldn't blame myself, that's exactly what you guys were doing! You were right earlier, Kai. This wasn't our fault. It was Orion's! So let's stop the blame game and go kick his ass!"

Both mamodo blinked in surprise before grinning. Toshiro shook his head. "Right. We don't have time to blame ourselves. We have more important things to deal with."

Kai rolled his shoulders. "Yeah for now we should just focus on the task at hand."

Orion raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?"

The three older teens shared a look before answering simultaneously, "To kick your ass!"

Haley clenched her fists. _"That's right. I won't let Orion win. If I show any weakness, I'll be doing exactly what he wants. I won't let him win. And maybe if we defeat him, we can find a way to get Leon's soul back. We can't lose!"_

Orion crossed his arms. "Is that so? Well I hate to disappoint you, but you have no chance of defeating me especially now that you're one book owner short. Even if it's two on one, you'll still lose."

Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Don't be so sure. You'd be surprised of what we're capable of when the chips are down. Besides-," Sapphire eyes narrowed. "I still need to pay you back for attacking my partner. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd kill you if you tried to hurt her."

His brother nodded while cracking his knuckles. "My brother's right. If you continue to underestimate us, you'll soon live to regret it."

Surprising everyone, Orion began laughing. "Interesting! If you think you can beat me, go ahead! Who knows maybe you'll manage to make me use another one of my spells again! Just to warn you I can steal souls of mamodo just as easily as humans. So I'd be careful if I were you."

The two brothers shared a look before charging forward to attack the mamodo in front of them. While they were running, Kai's eyes gained a calculative look. _"Why would he tell us that? Was he intending on scaring us or is there another reason?"_

Toshiro kicked at Orion's side, but the red-eyed mamodo dodged by jumping into the air. While the silver haired teen was still mid-air, Kai appeared in front of him and aimed a punch at the younger mamodo's head.

Hazel eyes widened as she watched Orion's body glow before disappearing. He reappeared behind the two black haired mamodo who hadn't notice his presence yet. She was about to yell out to warn the brothers when Orion lashed out and attacked.

Kai, who was back on the ground, turned around just in time to have a foot come in contact with his face sending him reeling backwards. Before Toshiro could retaliate, the air was knocked out of his lungs by a strong punch to his chest.

When he saw the two crumble to the ground, Orion chuckled, "I told you. Your strength is nothing compared to mine. If you surrender now, I won't steal your souls. Though I can't say the same for that girl over there, she's way too interesting to pass up on eating her soul."

"You used the souls you've taken didn't you?"

The red-eyed mamodo turned around to see Haley glaring at him. "We've already heard before how you steal people's souls in order to increase your power. Just now, your body was glowing. It was because you were using your new powers right?"

Orion raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh? Not bad for a human. To answer your question, yes I used some of the souls I've taken. To be more precise, I absorb parts of the soul to increase my strength and my speed. It's quite incredible isn't it?"

She made a disgusted face. "Yeah right! Those are people's lives you're messing with! You have no right to do what you've done! Just because you were weak before doesn't give you the right to steal souls just to increase your power!"

"Shut up!"

Haley froze when she felt a dark aura surround her. Red eyes were glaring hatefully at her before he suddenly vanished. In the next instant, Orion was in front of her grabbing her by the throat lifting her into the air. "You have overstepped your boundaries, girl. I think it's time I shut you up. Permanently."

The grip on her throat tightened before quickly disappearing. Hazel eyes widened to see Kai and Toshiro in front of her both holding onto one of the younger mamodo's arms.

Sapphire eyes darkened as he glared at the silver haired teen. "Don't. Touch. My. Partner."

Kai emphasized each word by squeezing Orion's arm tighter. Surprisingly, the red-eyed teen actually flinched from the pain.

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "You're fighting us not her, so back off."

Once again, Orion's body began to glow before he swatted their hands away and jumped back to increase the space between him and the older mamodo.

The wind mamodo turned to his partner who was massaging her throat. "Are you okay, Haley? I can't believe I let him catch me off guard like that again."

Haley shook her head as she smiled, "I'm fine. You two showed up just in time. It's not your fault. None of us know the full extent of his power when he uses those souls he steals."

Toshiro nodded, "She's right, Kai. I'm just as much at fault as you are. His speed is incredible. The only way to come close to matching it is to use that speed spell of yours."

Kai was deep in thought as he replayed Orion's actions just now in his mind. _"Why didn't he try to steal Haley's soul? He had the perfect opportunity to do so, but he didn't. Instead, he actually got mad and attacked her. Unless-," _His eyes widened. _"That's gotta be it! But that still doesn't help our situation any. We need to find his weakness. Maybe-," _"Hey Haley, did you notice anything weird about Orion after he attacked Leon? I know this is a hard question, but I need you think about it for a minute. I was more focused on getting to you than paying attention to Orion."

The redhead blinked in surprise before her eyes became more focused. "Well not really. The only thing that looked strange to me was that green sphere that came out of Leon."

Leon tilted his head in confusion. "Green sphere? I guess that must've been Leon's soul. What was so unusual about it?"

She grabbed her chin. "It wasn't the sphere itself. It was what it did after it came out of Leon. After all the talk about eating souls, I figured the soul would just fly straight in to Orion's mouth and he'd eat it, but it didn't. Instead, Leon's soul flew over to that bastard and sort of disappeared after touching his bracelet. That just seemed off to me."

Kai snapped his fingers. "That's it! That bracelet must be what he's using to hold all the souls he steals! Instead of just eating them right away, he stores the souls and saves them for later like for when he's in a battle."

Hazel eyes brightened. "So does that mean we still might be able to save Leon? And all the others that bastard has kidnapped?"

The wind mamodo nodded, "It's possible, but we need to hurry. If my guess is right, the longer a soul stays in his possession the closer it is to becoming fully absorbed by him."

Orion saw the three whispering and grinned, "Oh? What's this? What are you three planning?"

Toshiro smirked, "Oh you'll find out soon enough, bastard. You ready, Kai?"

His brother wore a similar smirk. "Ready when you are, Nii-san."

The two shared a look before dashing straight towards the other mamodo. It appeared they were going to attack together but right before they reached Orion they split up and ran around him.

Bored red eyes watched as both older mamodo aimed to punch him from each side. He raised his hands and stopped the fists by grabbing them. Orion's eyes grew more serious when the two brothers each raised a leg to kick at his unguarded head.

The silver haired teen swiftly ducked, and his body started glowing. Before the two black haired mamodo could attack again, Orion let go of their hands and jumped up kicking them both in the face with his feet.

He smirked as he watched the older mamodo grab their faces and stumble backwards. "I wonder if that was part of your plan, Kai-kun. If it was, then it's not a very good plan." His eyes narrowed when he saw Kai smirk. "What's so funny, Kai-kun? Please do tell."

Kai continued to smirk as he opened his right fist revealing a white, circular bead. "I just find it amusing that it was so easy to get this."

Red eyes widened as he looked down at his right wrist to see that there was indeed a bead from his bracelet missing. Orion raised his angry gaze back to Kai. "When did you do that? I don't remember seeing you grab for my bracelet unless-,"

Toshiro walked over and stood at his brother's side. "That's right. You should've been more careful when you caught our fists and then let go of them."

His brother nodded, "I had a feeling that as long as you didn't suspect we knew anything about that piece of jewelry of yours you wouldn't be so defensive about it. And it looks like I was right, I wonder what would happen if I broke this bead hmm?"

Surprising the two black haired mamodo, Orion yelled, "Don't you dare!" A dark and menacing aura surrounded the red-eyed teen as he ran towards them.

Kai simply grinned as he balled his hand back into a fist crushing the bead instantly with his monster-like strength. He reopened his fist letting the several bead pieces clatter to the floor. "Oops."

The silver haired teen froze right in front of the brothers and watched with a shocked expression as a white sphere appeared above the broken pieces before suddenly flying off. Orion reached out to try to re-capture it, but he had to move in order to dodge a punch from Toshiro. "You bastards!"

Toshiro smiled, "Ooh looks like we got the kid mad, Kai. Whatever shall we do?"

Kai chuckled, "How about we kick his ass? How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me, little brother."

The two brothers were about to attack the younger mamodo but stopped when they felt Orion's dark aura surround them. Before they could react, the older teens were knocked back by the aura.

Both Kai and Toshiro stiffened when they heard the silver haired mamodo began laughing. "How unexpected. For you two to manage to get me so mad, well done. Since you worked so hard to discover my source of power, I should at least show you how impressed I am. I was hoping I'd get a chance to use more of my spells. Looks like I got my wish after all. Do it, Tatsuya!"

Tatsuya whistled, "Wow looks like Orion's actually getting serious. This should be fun. Rezeranum!"

The red-eyed mamodo smirked as the two brothers ran in front of Haley so they could protect her from whatever was coming. "It's no use." The three watched wide-eyed as they became trapped in a gigantic dome of mirrors. "There's nowhere to run now."

Haley's grip on the silver book tightened. "What the hell is this?"

Orion chuckled as he walked up to one of the mirrors from outside the dome. "It's my spell. Do you like it? I admit it's my favorite. Unfortunately, I've never gotten a chance to use its full potential because all of the mamodo I've met so far were too weak, but maybe you'll be different."

"Rezaniru!"

The group watched amazed as the silver haired teen actually went inside the mirror. Orion smiled when he saw their shocked expressions from inside the mirror. "Surprised are we? Well just wait this is only the beginning. Tatsuya!"

His partner grinned, "It's show time! Rezuno!"

Orion disappeared from the mirror and reappeared in one on the dome's ceiling as he fired mirror shards from his hand at the three below him.

Kai picked up Haley and jumped to the side while Toshiro followed his brother's example. "Damn. We have got to get out of here. This is his territory. As long as we stay in here, we're sitting ducks! Haley, cast a spell!"

The redhead nodded, "Right! Kazedron!"

Tatsuya smirked, "Sorry, missy. We can't have you leaving just yet. Gran Rezerio!"

Instead of breaking like the others expected, the mirror absorbed the wind attack. Kai's ears twitched before he moved to the left just barely avoiding a wind blast from behind. _"What the hell? It can absorb my attacks and send them back from a completely different direction? What kind of spell is this?"_

Toshiro ran over to the two. "Kai! Are you two alright?"

The younger mamodo put his partner down and nodded, "I'm fine, but what do we do now? My wind spell is useless now, and I have a feeling those mirrors aren't gonna break easily."

His brother frowned, "You're right. We're in a really tight spot right now. I think it's time that genius brain of yours kicked in and came up with a plan."

Kai was about to respond, but Orion interrupted him. "Now that would be interesting to see. Do you think you have a chance of escaping, Kai-kun? If you do, I'd like to see you try. Though in the end all of your attempts will be futile."

"Gigano Rezuno!"

Haley opened the silver book when she saw arms emerge from all the mirrors and fire thousands of mirror shards at the group. "Kazerudo!"

Kai lifted his arms as a large dome of wind appeared and deflected the mirror shards causing them to shatter on contact. Even after the failed first attempt, more glass shards were fired at the shield which continued to protect Haley and the two brothers from harm.

Finally, after the attacks stopped, the shield faded away. The three stiffened when they heard Orion start laughing. "Impressive shield. Too bad you're even more trapped than before."

The redhead scowled, "What's that supposed to mean?" She was about to move forward when her partner stopped her. "Kai?"

Kai shook his head. "Don't move. We're surrounded just look around."

She gave her friend a confused look before turning her gaze to her surroundings. Hazel eyes widened at the sight. "What the hell?"

All around them there were millions of tiny shards of glass lying on the floor. The only area not covered with shards was the part of the floor where the wind dome had protected the three from the attacks.

Toshiro clenched his fists. "Damn. We should've noticed that sooner."

Sapphire eyes narrowed. _"This isn't good. Even if we can use my shield to protect us, Haley can only use it so many times. If I don't think of something soon, we're done for!" _"Haley, use the second spell. I'm gonna try to break out of here before he gets the chance to attack us."

Haley gaped, "What? Are you crazy? There's glass everywhere! Even with our shoes, we'll still manage to feel the shards if we step on them enough. How are you gonna reach those mirrors without stepping on them?"

Toshiro smirked, "I think I can take care of that. Just read the spell and we'll handle the rest, Haley."

The redhead sighed, "If you say so, Chisokumera!"

She watched as Toshiro used his hands to help catapult her partner right over the glass straight toward the mirrors. Kai pulled his fists back before throwing a rapid barrage of punches at the mirrors in front of him.

Orion shook his head. "Now, now Kai-kun that won't do. Tatsuya!"

"You got it! Gigano Rezuno!"

Once more, arms emerged from the mirrors and fired mirror shards except this time half of the arms were aiming solely for Kai while the others went after Haley and Toshiro.

The wind mamodo stopped punching the mirrors and began running along the walls of the mirror dome while swatting at the glass shards aimed at him. "Nii-san, protect Haley!"

Like his brother, Toshiro was also punching the oncoming shards though he was mainly going after the ones that were trying to hit Haley. "You don't have to tell me twice! Leon would kill me if I let her get hurt."

He froze when a foot came by his face and destroyed a shard that was about to hit him. The older mamodo turned to see Haley smirking at him. "I can protect myself just fine thank you very much. Now you on the other hand look like you're having trouble."

The ice mamodo grinned, "Me? Not at all."

They moved back to back as they kicked and punched at the shards of glass coming towards them. The two managed to fend off most of the attacks though they still earned plenty of cuts from the sharp pieces of glass.

Kai pushed himself harder as he ran along the mirrors attacking each arm he came across. Luckily, as soon as he touched an arm it would disappear meaning it wasn't the real Orion's. _"If I keep this up, I'm bound to find the real one!"_

Orion smirked, _"How futile. Even if he gets rid of all the arms, I can just move to another mirror he's already been to. But this gives me an idea. While he's distracted I can go after the girl. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I kill her."_

Haley continued to kick at the shards while using her arms to protect the silver book. So far she had managed to avoid any serious injuries, but her legs and arms were covered with small cuts from the glass shards she couldn't hit.

She caught sudden movement from the corner of her eye, and when the girl turned, Haley saw another of Orion's arms appear from the nearby mirror with its palm open. Hazel eyes widened. _"What? I thought we already took care of the arm from this mirror!"_

Orion grinned maliciously. _"Never leave your weak point unguarded! It's over. You lose, Kai-kun!"_ He was about to fire the final blow when he felt someone grab his arm. Before the red-eyed mamodo could react, the arm pulled him out and threw him into the center of the dome far enough away to be unable to reach a mirror.

Toshiro walked over the glass to where Orion lay and smirked, "A little glass doesn't bother me. Sorry but now you can't use your little mirror tricks to get away from us anymore. Kai was right. That was easier than I thought. He said if we drove you into a corner you'd do something like this."

Haley sighed in relief when the remaining arms disappeared and stopping attacking them. She then turned to the older teen with a raised eyebrow. "When did he tell you that? I never heard of this plan."

The ice mamodo smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Right before I threw Kai, he told me. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to break the mirrors, so he wanted to lure the guy out. He knew if we let our guard down that this bastard would try something like this."

Kai appeared beside his brother. "It couldn't be helped. If I bothered to tell you the plan, Orion would've gotten suspicious. It had to be unexpected."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. As long as we beat him, I don't care."

Orion slowly rose to his feet. "Beat me? Sorry but it's not gonna be that simple. I won't be beaten until you burn my book. And as long as you're in here, you won't get that chance."

The silver haired teen was about to move when Kai suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed both of his arms. "Would you like to do the honors, Nii-san?"

Toshiro cracked his knuckles. "My pleasure." Toshiro reared back and aimed to punch the younger mamodo in the jaw, but before he could make contact, Orion's body began glowing brightly. Then suddenly, both brothers were pushed back by the red-eyed teen's aura.

Haley reached out to try to grab Orion but was pushed back by the stronger mamodo making her fall backwards onto the glass. She bit back a scream as she felt the shards embed into her skin.

Orion chuckled as he walked over to the girl. "It's too bad. You were really close, but it looks like you forgot about my added strength from the souls I absorbed. And thanks to all the souls I've absorbed from this city, it'll easy to keep this up for the rest of the fight. Unfortunately for you, I've gotten tired of this game, so I think it's time to end it. Hand over the book and I promise I won't hurt you too much before I steal your soul."

She held the silver book tightly to her chest. "Over my dead body!"

The red-eyed mamodo smirked, "That can be arranged."

Haley clenched her eyes shut as Orion reached down to grab her. He stopped when the silver book began glowing brightly. Hazel eyes reopened slowly. "Huh?"

The silver haired teen raised an eyebrow. "A new spell? Well it's a little too late for that." He was about to reach for the girl again when a fist made him jump back. Orion grinned when he saw the owner of the fist. "Not bad. I thought for sure my aura would have knocked you and your brother out."

Orion lowered his head just barely avoiding a kick from Toshiro. Kai tried to punch him again, but the younger mamodo caught the fist and threw the older teen into his brother knocking them both onto the glass-covered ground. The red-eyed teen shook his head as he walked across the glass and jumped into a nearby mirror. "I see you two haven't learned your lesson yet. Looks like I'll have to fix that."

Kai scowled at the mirror before quickly running over to his partner and pulling her up. He winced when he saw the glass stuck in her skin. "Are you alright? Never mind, stupid question. You need any help with those?"

Haley grimaced, "Nah I'll take care of it later we don't really have time for that. Now what do we do? That bastard managed to get back into a mirror."

Toshiro pulled out a few mirror shards from his arms. "We're back to square one. Any plans, oh genius brother of mine?"

The wind mamodo frowned, "Nothing comes to mind at the moment. We're really screwed if he decides to use that spell again." His frown disappeared when he turned toward his partner with a curious look. "The book was shining earlier. Did we get a new spell?"

Hazel eyes widened. "That's right! I almost forgot!" She quickly opened the power and grinned, "Alright! Maybe this is just what we need to turn the tables! You wanna try it out?"

Her partner shrugged, "Why not? It beats getting skewered by glass."

Orion smirked, "Let's see if you have the time to use that new spell of yours! Tatsuya!"

"Gigano Rezuno!"

Haley strengthened her grip on the silver books as familiar sets of arms appeared from the mirrors and began shooting glass shards at them. "I hope this works! Dio Kazeron!"

She along with Toshiro watched wide-eyed as a pair of long swords made of wind appeared in the wind mamodo's hands. Kai seemed surprised at first before a large smirk formed on his face.

His grip on the swords tightened before he stretched his arms out and swung his body in a large circular motion obliterating all the glass shards that came near him. "Haley, use the second spell!"

The redhead blinked in surprise. "Huh? Oh right! Chisokumera!"

Kai's body emitted a silver glow before he ran forward at an incredible speed. The wind mamodo crushed all the shards that came near him as he came closer to the mirrors. He even managed to move the glass on the floor by using his swords to create a large gust of wind to blow them away. "Follow me!"

His partner and brother simply nodded before running after the usually lazy teen. When he reached the mirrors, Kai spread out his arms and pulled each sword down toward the mirrors creating a large X. With the swords' strength as well as the power boost from Chisokumera, the mirrors shattered instantly creating a hole for the three to escape.

Once they were outside of the dome, Hale leaned over and breathed deeply. "Whew that was a close one. I'm glad that new spell appeared in the book, or we would've been totally screwed."

Orion appeared outside of the dome and clapped. He was smiling, but they could tell by his strained expression that he was actually angry about having his mirrors destroyed. "Bravo, Kai-kun. You managed to survive. It looks like my prediction of you being a good fight came true after all, right Tatsuya?"

The brown haired man grinned, "Yeah I never expected to meet a mamodo who could actually stand up to you like that, Orion. It was really interesting."

The silver haired chuckled, "I'm glad you got to enjoy yourself, Tatsuya. You see, Kai-kun, Tatsuya is quite a good partner. He'll go along with whatever I say as long as I let him see a good fight now and then as well as get to play with those pretty human girls. He's very easy to please."

Haley scowled at the other book owner. "Are you serious? You're helping this bastard steal souls in exchange for a good time? You're just as bad as him!"

Tatsuya shrugged, "Maybe, missy. But this is how I do things. Before Orion showed up, things were so boring. Now things are much more exciting. As long as I can keep seeing interesting things, I don't care what I have to do for Orion."

The redhead clenched her fists. "You bastard! Once we get rid of your partner, I'm so gonna kick your ass!"

He smirked, "Bring it on, missy. I'd love to go all out with you."

Toshiro put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Calm down, Haley. They're just trying to rattle you. Don't let what they say bother you. They'll get what's coming to them soon."

Kai yawned, "Right. Now that we've seen the majority of their spells, we should be able to handle them."

The playful smile on Orion's face turned into a frown. His red eyes darkened. "I wouldn't be so sure, Kai-kun. You've forgotten I have more than just my spells to use against you. I think it's time we finish this battle. Tatsuya's had his fun, so I think it should be alright. Sorry, Kai-kun, but this game is coming to an end."

Haley along with the two brothers watched with anxious faces as the younger teen raised his right hand in the air. A bright light came from the shining bracelet on Orion's wrist completely surrounding him. The light was so bright that everyone else had to shield their eyes. Finally, when the light died down, eyes were slowly opened revealing a shocking sight.

Instead of 5'5, the red-eyed mamodo was now close to 6ft. His sleeves were ripped because of the now larger muscles on his arms. His hair was a darker silver and now very spiky. There were black lines that ran from under his eyes to his chin, and his teeth resembled sharp fangs. The most chilling characteristic of the young teen were his eyes. They had no pupils and were a dark red reminding the trio of the color of blood.

Orion smirked, "You like it? This is what happens when I use my full power from the souls I take. It's amazing isn't it? This is what real strength is." He turned to Haley who took a step back out of reflex. "And you, you said before that I decided to steal souls because I was weak when I arrived yes? Well I'm going to have to correct you on that. I did not choose to steal souls to get stronger. No, you could say in order to unleash my full power I had to steal souls."

Sapphire eyes narrowed. "What do you mean full power? You're not making any sense. Sure we need humans in order to use our spells, but we don't need their souls! What you're doing is just insane!"

The three were startled when the silver haired mamodo began laughing loudly. "For a normal mamodo that might be the case, but things are different for me. You see, my clan's a little different from the other clans. Sure we have spells we can use, but you see the mamodo in my clan have more than just that! We have a hidden power that can only be unleashed by eating human souls! Thousands of years ago, the elders of my clan gathered and by using dark powers were able to grant us amazing strength. Though like good deals, there's always a catch."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "And what was the catch?"

Orion grinned, "The catch was simple all my clan members needed to do was eat human souls if we use our powers. If we don't, we'll die. For unknown reasons, only the soul of a human can strengthen our bodies to prevent our darker powers from killing us after we use our normal powers. That's why my clan disappeared during a war over five thousand years ago. And I don't just mean using our darker powers. If we even use our normal powers-our spell powers- for a long period of time without eating a human soul, we'll die!"

Haley gaped, "Y-you can't be serious!"

The red-eyed teen continued to grin. "Oh but I am, Haley. In order to preserve our race, my clan went into hiding. To escape war as well as to make sure no other mamodo found out about our new power and try to stop us. My ancestors then waited for when the mamodo battle began. That's the main reason our elders did what they did. In order to make a clan member King, the clan needed that power. Unfortunately, my predecessors have failed to win the mamodo battles before now, but this time's different. I will bring my clan glory. No one will stand in my way!"

* * *

**Uh oh I think I just gave you guys another cliffhanger. Sorry! Please don't kill me! lol**

**Anyway if you guys were curious about why Orion usually doesn't address Toshiro it's because he doesn't see Toshiro as a threat now that Leon's gone. Of course that'll be his mistake ; ) Also I wanna point out that Orion is not invincible. He does have a weakness, so the guys still have a chance to beat him. Sorry if the whole power boost and body change thing was a little predictable but it's the best I could come up with since Orion does use those souls to increase his strength.**

**And next chapter we get to see what Derrick, Katsu, and their mamodo are up too : )**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^-^**


	19. Never Give Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey guys! I'm back! I'm so so so sorry for another long wait! I really meant to update this sooner but I kept drawing a blank on how to end this fight. But enough of my excuses, hopefully this extra long chapter will make up for my lazyness ; ) I wanna thank you all for your reviews. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one just as much. **

**Here's chapter 19 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**

* * *

"Derrick-kun, are you sure you're alright?"

For the past half hour, Alice and her partner had been walking around the mansion looking for any sign of the kidnapped victims and their friends without any luck. Even though he was injured, Derrick was still able to move around though at a slower pace than usual.

The football player gave his partner a shaky smile as he tried to ignore the pain from his now bandaged side. "I'm fine, Alice. Don't worry about me. More importantly, do you think we're going the right way? We have no idea where those kidnapped girls are being held."

Alice looked up at her friend. "I'm not sure. I was hoping we'd run into one of the others. They might have had more luck than us."

The brown haired teen sighed, "Somehow I doubt that especially since Haley's group was supposed to go after Orion. Maybe-"

His partner stopped walking when she noticed the jock suddenly freeze. "Derrick-kun? What's wrong?"

Derrick put a finger to his lips to silence the girl. He leaned down and whispered, "I think I heard something coming from around the corner. Stay here and I'll go check it out."

Alice swiftly shook her head and whispered back, "I can't let you do that, Derrick-kun! You're injured! Let me take care of it!"

Before he could argue, the silver haired girl quickly tip-toed toward the corner. Derrick watched wide-eyed as a fist came out from the other side of the corner. Alice quickly caught the fist and threw the owner of the hand into the wall behind her.

"Ow! Dammit!"

The football player blinked in surprise. _"Wait a minute. I'd recognize that cussing from anywhere." "_Katsu?"

Katsu slowly rose to his feet as he rubbed his head. "Who else could it be, you damn football idiot."

Alice's eyes widened as she ran over to Katsu. "I-I'm so sorry, Katsu-san! I didn't know it was you! I just saw a fist coming towards me, and my instincts took over. I'm sorry!"

The grey-eyed teen sighed, "Whatever. It's my fault too. I thought you might've been another of that bastard Orion's lackeys. I should've paid more attention."

Derrick grinned, "What's this? Is Katsu-chan actually admitting he was wrong?"

Katsu glared heatedly at the jock as he scowled, "Shut up, bastard! And quit calling me that! I never said you could call me by my first name!"

The brown-eyed teen frowned, "I really wish you'd cut down on all that cussing of yours. I don't like Alice listening to it."

"Like I care about that!"

Alice looked around. "Um Katsu-san? Where's Kira-kun? Did you get separated?"

Katsu shook his head. "No. I put him down in a safe spot when I heard you two earlier. I better go check on him."

Derrick and Alice quickly followed after the other teen down the hall he had just come from. When Katsu stopped by a suit of armor, the football player raised an eyebrow. "Well? Where is the little guy? I don't see him."

The grey-eyed teen cursed, "Damn. I left him right here! Where the hell could he have gone? He's shouldn't be moving around!"

"I'm here, Katsu."

The three jumped in surprise as they tried to find the source of the voice. Alice moved closer to the wall beside the suit of armor. "Is that you, Kira-kun? Where are you? We can't see you."

"I figured as much considering I'm behind this wall. I believe I've found a secret passage way."

Derrick grinned, "Man this house really is weird. What is up with all these secret passage ways?"

Katsu ignored the jock's question and asked, "How'd you find the passage way?"

"I simply leaned against the wall after you left to find what the source of the noise was. I take it that what you heard earlier was Derrick and Alice?"

Alice smiled, "That's right! Now stand back, Kira-kun. I'm gonna try to open the passage way you found."

The silver haired girl put her hands on the wall and began pushing. After a few seconds passed and nothing happened, she stopped. "I don't understand. Why isn't it moving?"

Derrick grabbed his chin as he studied the wall. "Maybe there's a specific spot you have to push on."

Alice huffed as she leaned against the wall. "But how are we supposed to find it, Derrick-kun?" Suddenly, the wall behind her swung backwards causing her to fall on her butt. "Huh?"

Kira offered her a hand which she quickly took and helped her stand. "It looks like you found the right spot."

Derrick smiled, "Good job, Alice. You alright?"

She nodded, "Uh huh!"

Katsu kneeled down in front of his partner. "What about you? How are your injuries?"

Kira winced as he shrugged. "I'm fine. It's nothing serious. Instead of worrying about me, we should focus on saving all of those people who were kidnapped."

His partner sighed, "Right. Do you think we should see where this passage way leads?"

The silver haired boy nodded, "It might lead us to the dungeon that mamodo from before mentioned."

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "A dungeon? Seriously?" He shook his head. "Secret passage ways, dragons, dungeons, what's next?"

Alice giggled, "You shouldn't say things like that, Derrick-kun. You might jinx us."

For the next hour and a half, the four slowly walked down the passage way. Unlike the hallway they were previously in, these walls were made of a grey stone instead of wood and appeared dirtier than the wooden walls. Finally, the group reached the end of the passage way and found an old wooden door.

They all glanced at each other silently before Katsu moved to the front and grabbed the doorknob. The grey-eyed teen slowly opened the door and peaked through the small opening. When he saw there were no enemies, Katsu opened the door fully and walked in with Kira at his side.

Again, the group found themselves in another hallway except this one was much shorter. Like the first one, there was a wooden door at the end. Once the four reached the door, Katsu peered into the small barred window of the door. Grey eyes widened. "What the hell?"

Derrick moved to stand beside the other teen and looked inside the window. He took a step back in surprise. "N-no way."

Unable to look through the window because of her height, Alice tried to reach it by jumping. "What is it? What's in there, Derrick-kun? I can't see!"

Kira noticed the keys hanging on the nearby wall and quickly grabbed them. "Why don't we find out by opening the door?" Instead of waiting for an answer, the silver haired boy put the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door.

Like their partners, both mamodo grew wide-eyed when they saw what was behind the door. There in the room were all of the kidnapped victims. That however was not what shocked the four. What left the group stunned was the fact that none of the victims were moving. In fact, from where they stood, everyone in the small chamber-like room appeared dead.

Derrick clenched his fists. _"Are you kidding me? After all we've been through, this is how it ends?"_

When he saw Alice's eyes begin to water, the football player quickly picked her up and made her look away from the bodies. Unable to think of any words of comfort, Derrick simply held the girl close.

Katsu, who was mentally cursing, shifted his attention to his partner who was examining the body of a girl who looked like she was only a year younger than Katsu and Derrick. She had long blonde hair and light skin. The girl was wearing a white top, a blue jean jacket, a dark blue skirt, and white tennis shoes.

Grey eyes narrowed. _"She looks familiar."_ After a few seconds, his eyes widened with realization. _"She must be that guy Hikaru's sister. I'd hate to be the one who tells him the news." _"Kira, what are you doing?"

Kira stood up and turned toward his partner. "I don't think she's fully dead, Katsu. If my theory's right, none of them are."

Alice wiped her eyes. "W-what do you mean, Kira-kun? They sure look dead to me."

The silver haired boy sighed, "It's hard to explain. Basically what I mean to say is that these humans have indeed lost their souls but not their lives at least not yet. I don't get a feeling of death from these people. It's more like they're in between. The way I see it is if they're returned their souls in time they'll return to normal."

Derrick grinned, "So you're saying we still have a chance to save them?"

Kira nodded, "Yes but we must return their souls soon or they will die. The longer their bodies are separated from their souls the less likely they'll regain their lives."

The group froze when out of nowhere a glowing white sphere flew right past their heads. Before anyone could react, the white sphere merged with the body of the girl Kira was standing beside.

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the girl's body gave off a light glow. When the glow disappeared, the young girl's eyes flickered before slowly opening revealing familiar looking blue orbs. "Huh? What's going on?" She stared at the four. "W-who are you guys?"

True to his nature, Derrick was the first to respond as he kneeled down by the girl and grabbed her hand. "Don't be afraid. We're friends of your brother. You're Kari-chan, right?" When he saw her nod, the jock smiled, "I thought so. You look very similar to your brother though he never told us that you were such a beauty. I'm honored to be in such a beautiful lady's presence. I'm Derrick Runners, but you can call me Derrick."

Kari blushed when she saw the older teen wink at her. "N-nice to meet you, Derrick-san."

The football player grinned, "The pleasure's all mine, Kari-chan."

Alice walked over to Kari and gave her a shy smile. "My name's Alice. I'm happy to see you're alright, Kari-san."

Katsu rolled his eyes. "Can we save this for later? We have more important things to do."

Derrick grinned when he saw Kari staring at Katsu with a wary expression. "Don't mind him. Katsu tends to get shy around people he doesn't know."

The grey-eyed teen scowled, "Shut up, bastard! I'll show you shy!"

Kira sighed, "Weren't you just telling us that we had more important things to do? Instead of fighting, we should be working on carrying all of these people to safety."

Kari frowned, "Safety? What's going on? What am I doing here anyway? Where's my brother?"

Alice tilted her head in confusion. "You don't remember how you got here?"

The blonde shook her head. "The last thing I remember is running into a biker guy and a kid with red eyes on my way home from school. After that, it's all a blur."

Derrick scratched his head. "Then I guess it's better we explain what happened to you before we do anything else. You see those two guys you ran into kidnapped you so they could force your brother and his mamodo to fight for them."

Blue eyes widened. "Y-you mean that red-eyed kid was a mamodo like Kaji?"

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "So you know about the mamodo battle?"

Kari nodded, "My brother didn't want me to get involved in the mamodo battle, but Kaji told me all about it because he said I'd be targeted by other mamodo even if I didn't know anything about them. He said I would be safer if I was prepared." She looked down. "So you're saying because of me my brother and Kaji have been risking their lives doing whatever that kid says?"

Derrick's eyes softened as he put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Don't say it like that, Kari-chan. It wasn't your fault you got kidnapped."

Kira nodded, "You were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Katsu crossed his arms. "That brother of yours cares a lot about you. That bastard Orion used that to take advantage of him. The only one at fault is Orion."

When Kari looked up, her eyes met with silver-grey ones. "So please don't blame yourself, Kari-san. Instead, let's work on getting you out of here, so we can take you to your brother. He's been very worried about you."

The blue-eyed girl smiled as she wiped her eyes. "T-thank you." She lifted her gaze to look at the other three. "All of you."

Derrick and Alice returned the smile while Katsu and Kira merely looked to the side, but Derrick could tell the two were happy as well. "You're welcome. Now let's get you and these others out of here."

Kari slowly rose to her feet. It seemed it had been awhile since she had moved on her own by how she wobbled. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

Derrick grinned, "That's very kind of you, Kari-chan. Are you sure? We wouldn't want you to push yourself."

The blonde nodded, "I'm sure. Besides, you'll need the help, right? There are only four of you, and there are seven other people here."

Katsu crossed his arms. "She's right. We'll need her help carrying the girls along with Minoru's parents. We can just leave that brat that attacked us with her puppet here."

Alice frowned, "We can't do that, Katsu-san. Elizabeth may have been our enemy, but she's still only a child. It would be cruel to just leave her here."

Derrick rose to his feet wincing when his side throbbed from the sudden movement. "Alice is right, Katsu. We're gonna help everyone escape including Elizabeth."

Katsu scowled, "Whatever. Just don't expect me to carry her."

Kira sighed, "I'll do it. Because of my current state, I doubt I would be able to carry any of the older humans."

Alice smiled, "That's very nice of you, Kira-kun. Don't push yourself though ok? If you need any help, be sure to let us know."

The silver haired boy simply nodded before he walked over to where Elizabeth lay and picked her up. Katsu gave his partner a worried look when he saw the pained expression on Kira's face, but the mamodo quickly schooled his features back to his normal unemotional appearance.

Derrick made his way over to the far corner of the room where a man and a woman lay. He assumed they were Minoru's parents considering both looked very similar to the bespectacled boy. The man had short black hair and was wearing glasses like Minoru's while the woman had dark blue hair like her son. The bespectacled man had a thin frame and was wearing a red dress shirt, brown pants, and black dress shoes. His wife was wearing a green turtle neck, blue jeans, and grey tennis shoes. The football player tried to reach for the bespectacled man but was stopped by Katsu.

When he saw Derrick raise an eyebrow, Katsu rolled his eyes. "You idiot, do you really think you could lift this guy? Don't think I haven't noticed that you're injured. Nice bandage by the way."

The jock scowled when he saw the grey-eyed boy's smirk. "Shut up. Alice couldn't find anything else to use as a bandage."

Katsu continued to smirk. "Whatever." He reached down and grabbed Minoru's father. Luckily, the man wasn't much taller than Katsu, so he was easy to carry. "You can carry one of the girls. If you can that is."

When Alice saw Derrick's eyebrow twitch, she knew it was time for her to intervene. "I'll carry Azumi-san, Derrick-kun. Why don't you carry your classmate Hana-san?"

Derrick blinked, "Are you sure, Alice? Will you be able to carry Azumi-chan? She's a lot taller than you."

Alice walked over to a girl who she guessed was Azumi because she looked exactly like how Derrick had described her before they came to the mansion. Azumi had long brown hair in a ponytail and was wearing a pink shirt, a white skirt, and pink sandals. Alice leaned down and easily lifted the older girl into the air. The silver haired girl grinned, "I think I'll be alright, Derrick-kun."

The football player chuckled as he walked over to a girl who looked to be about the same age as him. She had short dirty blond hair and tan skin. The girl wore a white t-shirt, black shorts, and blue tennis shoes. Derrick scooped the skinny girl into his arms before slowly maneuvering her until she rested on his back. "What about the other two girls?"

Katsu sighed as he went over to the other side of the room while dragging Minoru's father along with him. There lying on the floor was another girl who appeared to be a year older than Katsu. She had cyan-colored hair in two braids, black thin-rimmed glasses, and pale skin. The girl was wearing a purple sweater, blue jeans, and brown sandals. "I guess I'll just have to care the old guy and Tsukimori."

Derrick smirked as he watched Katsu set Minoru's father on the ground and place Tsukimori on his back. "What's this? Is Katsu-chan acting chivalrous?"

The grey-eyed teen scowled, "Shut up, idiot. I doubt you even know what that word means. Besides, I don't have a choice. Someone's gotta carry these girls, and there's no way I'm gonna let Kira do it while in he's injured."

Alice smiled, "That's very noble of you, Katsu-san."

While the others were talking, Kari made her way over to where Minoru's mother lay and put the older woman's arm around her shoulder to pull the woman to her feet. "Um I don't mean to interrupt you, but what about that other girl?"

In another part of the room, there was one more girl lying on the floor. She had bright spiky red hair with dark blue streaks and lightly tanned skin. The girl was wearing a dark purple halter top with a skull and crossbones on it, black skinny jeans, a black choker on her neck, and black boots.

Katsu continued to scowl. "Don't look at me. I've got my hands full."

Derrick headed over to the other girl wincing when Hana's knee accidentally hit his side. "I can carry Akane-chan too. I'll carry her in my arms."

Alice gazed at her partner wide-eyed. "Derrick-kun, you can't! You're injured!"

The jock gave her a strained smile as he pulled Akane into his arms. "We have no other choice, Alice. It would be too risky to leave her here then try to come back for her later. I'll be fine."

The silver haired girl bit her lip worriedly. She quickly shook her head and gave her partner a determined look. "Then let me carry her! That way you won't have to overexert yourself. With my strength, I should be able to carry Akane-san and Azumi-san."

Kira nodded, "It's true. Alice is in a much better condition than you, Derrick. It shouldn't be hard for her to carry both girls. Those girls aren't very large."

Derrick shook his head. "No way, Alice. I don't want you to overdo it."

Alice's eyes grew watery. "Please? It's because of me that you were injured. If there's any way that I can help you, then I want to do it. I promise I'll tell you if I have any trouble carrying them."

As soon as he looked into her eyes, Derrick knew he wouldn't be able to refuse her request. He sighed, "Alright, but as soon as you start feeling tired, let me know and I'll take over."

The silver haired girl beamed, "Thank you, Derrick-kun! Don't worry I promise." Derrick smiled as he handed Akane over to Alice.

After a few minutes of maneuvering, the child managed to place Akane over her right shoulder and Azumi over her left one. Due to her small stature, the older girls' legs dragged against the ground, but she would still be able to carry the girls.

Kari gave the girl a worried look. "Are you sure you'll be alright, Alice-chan?"

Alice nodded, "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

Katsu headed for the door. "Well now that that's taken care of, let's get out of here."

Kira moved to follow his partner but stopped when he noticed another body in the corner by the door. No one had noticed it before because the door had been blocking it. It was another woman who looked like she was in her mid-twenties. She had long flowing white hair and equally flawless skin. The young woman was wearing a white top, a red jacket, a long dark red skirt, and brown sandals. The silver haired boy sighed, "Hold on, Katsu. There's another one."

Katsu stopped in the doorway. "What? You've gotta be kidding me."

His partner shook his head as he set Elizabeth on the ground and walked over to the young woman. Kira shifted his gaze over to Derrick and Kari. "Will one of you carry the girl? I'll carry this one."

Katsu shook his head. "You can't be serious! What about your injuries?"

The blue-eyed mamodo picked up the white haired woman and winced, "There's no other solution, Katsu. You're too worn out to use any of my spells, and you can't expect Derrick or Kari to carry this woman."

Derrick frowned, "I could do it." He walked over to Elizabeth and scooped her into his arms. "I'll carry the kid." When he saw Alice's worried look, the jock added, "She doesn't weight all that much so I won't be straining myself by carrying her. Don't worry, I'll be fine, Alice."

Alice nodded slowly. "If you say so, Derrick-kun. But if your wound starts bothering you, please let me know."

The football player smiled, "I will."

Kari looked over at Derrick. "If you need a break, I'll carry the girl for awhile too."

The brown-eyed teen winked, "That's very kind of you, Kari-chan. Thank you."

She blushed slightly as she continued walking towards the door. Katsu rolled his eyes at the two and gave his partner a worried look before treading through the doorway. Derrick slowly followed them with Alice and Kira right behind him.

The jock felt a sudden flare of pain from his injured side but ignored it as he continued to move forward. His jaw was clenched tightly as he tried to prevent any signs of pain from showing on his face so as not to worry Alice. _"I hope your group is having an easier time than ours is, Haley."

* * *

_

Haley clenched her teeth as she held the silver book tightly to her chest. "If you really think, we're just gonna let you become king then you're crazier than I thought."

The redhead flinched when dark red eyes bore into hers. "Now that's not very nice. Someone really needs to teach you some manners, Haley."

Kai moved in front of Haley as if to guard her from Orion's gaze. "Remember, your fight's with us. I won't let you hurt my partner."

Orion chuckled, "Of course. How could I forget that? You're quite protective of your partner aren't you, Kai-kun? I guess I can understand considering if something happens to her then you have no chance of winning this battle."

The wind mamodo glared at the younger teen. "Like I care about that. I could care less about the battle. I just don't want you to hurt my friend."

Orion crossed his arms. "I see. Well it's of no consequence to me. The only thing that matters now is that I burn your book. After that, I'll burn your brother's considering his partner is already out of commission."

Toshiro scowled, "Don't even think about it. I'm not letting you get anywhere near Leon."

The silver haired mamodo sighed, "You truly are foolish if you still believe you have a chance of defeating me. It looks like I'll have to teach you two by example how different are powers really are."

Suddenly, Orion vanished making the brothers automatically move into a defensive position. Sapphire eyes widened when the red-eyed mamodo appeared right in front of him.

Kai brought up his arms to defend himself, but the younger teen was too fast. The wind mamodo was hit directly in the chest with a force strong enough to send him flying backwards.

As soon as he saw Orion appear in front of his brother, Toshiro aimed a punch at the silver haired mamodo's head. Unfortunately, the red-eyed teen saw the move coming and quickly caught the fist.

Before Toshiro could counter, Orion attacked with a series of punches aimed at the ice mamodo's face and chest. When he was done, the younger teen threw Toshiro to the side where Kai was recovering from Orion's punch.

Haley stiffened when she noticed the red-eyed mamodo's gaze on her. She took a step back as she clutched the silver book tightly. _"There's no point in running. He'll just catch me using those new powers of his. What should I do?"_ Her eyes narrowed. _"Wait a minute. What am I thinking? I already know what I need to do. I'm gonna fight. I'm not gonna let that bastard touch this book no matter what."_

Orion smirked when he saw the redhead glare at him. "Ah I see you still have some fight left in you. I look forward to devouring your soul."

"Not in this lifetime, bastard!"

Kai appeared at the younger mamodo's side and kicked at Orion's head. The silver haired teen sighed as he simply ducked and grabbed the leg with both of his hands. Then, Orion spun rapidly while still holding onto Kai. Finally, when the red-eyed mamodo let go, the older teen was sent flying.

Hazel eyes widened. "Kai!" Ignoring Orion, Haley ran to where her partner lay while an angry Toshiro attacked the silver haired mamodo.

Kai groaned as he slowly lifted himself into a sitting position. "Well that didn't work. How the hell are we supposed to stop this guy? His strength is ridiculous!"

Haley helped her partner to his feet and looked at him with worried eyes. "Do you want me to use one of the spells? I don't think we'll be able to beat Orion when he's like that without some power of our own."

The wind mamodo shook his head. "You know we can't, Haley. You've already used a lot of spells. You need to rest and save what's left of your heart energy. I'll be fine. Nii-san and I will come up with something."

As soon as the words left the sapphire-eyed teen's lips, his brother flew right over them after being hit by Orion. Kai sighed, "Ok correction: I'll come up with something."

Toshiro slowly rose to his feet and glared at his brother obviously having heard his words. "I'm not out of this fight yet, Kai. I'll do whatever I can to help. I'm not gonna stop until this bastard is back in the mamodo world."

Haley grinned as she shook her head at the brothers' antics. "So what should we do now?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a laugh from Orion. "There's nothing you can do. You don't stand a chance against me now that I'm at full power. If you don't want to get seriously hurt, I recommend you surrender now before it's too late."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Does he really think we would give up just like that?"

Kai shrugged, "Who knows. Maybe his brain shrunk when his muscles grew."

Toshiro laughed, "You might have a point there, little brother."

Orion's smirk disappeared and was replaced with an angry scowl. His red eyes darkened as he moved forward. "It would do you no good to anger me, Kai-kun."

The three stiffened when Orion suddenly disappeared. He reappeared in front of the two older mamodo and unleashed a flurry of punches.

Haley quickly moved out of the way as the brothers stepped backwards while trying to parry all of Orion's punches. This continued for sometime before Toshiro aimed a kick for the red-eyed mamodo's head.

Orion swiftly dodged the kick and brought up his right knee to block an uppercut from a crouching Kai. The silver haired teen then brought his right foot down to stomp on Kai's chest.

The wind mamodo rolled away just barely avoiding getting hit. While Orion was preoccupied with Kai, Toshiro kicked at the younger teen's side.

Right before the foot made contact, the red-eyed mamodo caught it and used his free hand to punch the older teen in the stomach. Toshiro coughed as he clutched his abdomen while glaring heatedly at Orion.

The silver haired teen chuckled at the other mamodo's pain, but the smirk was quickly replaced with a frown. Dark red eyes narrowed as he looked to the side. "It seems my prisoners have escaped. How unfortunate."

Hazel eyes brightened. _"That means Derrick and the other were able to find them! They're alright!"_

Orion sighed, "Well it's of no importance to me. I've already captured all of their souls. Except for the one you fools released. I'll have to recapture that girl after I'm finished with you."

Kai clenched his fists. "Don't talk like this battle is already over. We're not done yet."

Toshiro let go of his abdomen and straightened his stance. "My brother's right. It'll take a lot more than that to finish us off."

Haley nodded, "This fight is far from over!"

Once again, the three mamodo began fighting with the brothers throwing punches and kicks while Orion simply dodged each blow and countered with one of his own.

Tatsuya, who had been silent since Orion powered up, laughed, "I don't know if I should call you guys brave or stupid! There's no way you can beat Orion now. You don't stand a chance!"

The redhead growled as she shifted her attention to the other book owner. "Shut up, bastard!" Her eyes narrowed. _"Orion has one weakness. There's still his book! Maybe while the guys are distracting him, I can go after it. That book owner doesn't look all that tough."_

With a quick glance at the fight, she swiftly ran over to where the other book owner stood. Tatsuya smirked, "Oh? Does missy wanna play? Alright, I see no reason that we book owners shouldn't have some fun of our own."

Haley scowled she brought up her right leg to kick at the taller man. The brown haired man easily caught the leg. He continued to smirk. "You're gonna have to do better than that, missy."

His smirk faded when he saw the redhead grin. Green eyes widened as he watched the girl twist her body and bring up her free leg to kick him directly in the head.

Tatsuya let go of her other leg and clutched his head. He glared at the other book owner. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!"

The green-eyed man charged forward angrily swinging his fists at the girl. Haley nimbly dodged all of the blows and retaliated with a punch of her own.

A satisfied smirk dawned her features when she heard of the tell-tale crunch of Tatsuya's nose after making contact with her fist.

The brown haired man took a step back as he grabbed his now bleeding nose. He scowled, "You boke my dose!" ("You broke my nose!")

Haley grinned, "What's that? Sorry I can't understand you."

Tatsuya snarled, "You'll fay fo dis!" ("You'll pay for this.")

He unleashed another series of punches at the girl which she quickly avoided them by ducking. The redhead, while still in her crouched position, brought up her right leg and kicked at the taller man's side.

The brown haired man growled as he tried to stomp on the girl, but she rolled away before he could make contact. "Day dill!" ("Stay still!")

Haley stuck out her tongue. "No way, bastard!" She rose to her feet with the silver book still clutched to her side by her left arm. "Just hand over the book and I might not break anything else of yours!"

Suddenly, she heard Kai shout, "Haley, run!"

The redhead froze when she felt an ominous presence behind her. She swiftly turned around just in time to get knocked back by a familiar dark aura.

Orion shook his head. "You didn't think I would actually let you continue with this did you? I can't have you getting too close to my book after all." He turned to Tatsuya who was staring at the ground avoiding eye contact with his mamodo. "And you, how could you let this girl injure you like that? I'm disappointed, Tatsuya."

The brown haired man scowled, "Di umbershtinaded ger datz gall. Di gad ger brite uhere di ganted ger." ("I underestimated her that's all. I had her right where I wanted her.")

The red-eyed mamodo sighed, "I can't understand you, you fool."

Haley coughed as she slowly rose to her feet. The attack was so powerful that the glass that was still in her skin instantly disintegrated after coming in contact with Orion's dark aura. _"W-what happened?"_

The redhead quickly scanned the area and found Kai and Toshiro lying on the ground where they were fighting Orion earlier. Kai was looking at her with worried eyes as he struggled to move, but she couldn't tell from her position if Toshiro was conscious or not.

While Tatsuya was trying to communicate with his partner, Haley made her way over to Kai who was now in a sitting position. "Kai! Are you guys alright?"

Kai rubbed his head. "I'm fine considering the situation we're in. What about you, Nii-san?"

Toshiro slowly sat up wincing when his body protested the sudden movement. "Don't worry I'm not dead yet."

Haley released a sigh of relief when she saw both mamodo were okay. "What happened?"

Kai shrugged, "As soon as he noticed what you were up to, he easily took us out." He clenched his fist. "All this time he's only been playing with us."

The redhead bit her lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you guys to get hurt because of my reckless actions."

Her partner shook his head. "It's not your fault. Like I said, he was only playing with us earlier, so he was bound to attack us seriously anyway. Besides, you were only trying to help."

Toshiro smirked, "In the end, you had more success than we did. Nice hit by the way."

"Yes it really was quite the punch wasn't it?"

The three froze when they saw Orion appear behind Haley. The smile on the red-eyed mamodo's face was dark and menacing. "I guess I'll have to return the favor."

Orion leaned down to grab the girl but was stopped by Kai who pushed her out of the way. Sapphire eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about it."

The dark smile grew as the silver haired teen let out a chuckle. "Very well then. I'll just have to take it out on you. By the looks of it, you and your brother are in no condition to put up a fight."

Hazel eyes widened as she watched Orion grab Kai by the throat and raise him into the air. She moved forward but was once again knocked back by the red-eyed teen's aura.

Cerulean eyes darkened as Toshiro glared heatedly at the silver haired mamodo. "Let. My. Brother. Go. Now."

When the younger teen made no move to do so, the ice mamodo charged forward aiming a punch at the other's face. Orion simply sighed as he caught the fist with his free hand and threw Toshiro to the side. "Like I said, neither of you are capable of fighting in your present conditions."

Haley was about to yell at him to let Kai go but stopped when she saw Kai slowly begin to lift his right hand. Because Orion's attention was on Toshiro at the moment, he had not noticed the wind mamodo's movement.

Hazel eyes met sapphire ones, and she instantly knew what the other was planning. She had to fight back to the sudden urge to grin not wanting to alert Orion of their plan.

Orion shifted his gaze back to Kai not noticing the position of Kai's right hand. "Now, Kai-kun, I think it's time to finish this fight. I'm growing tired of it."

Kai snorted, "You're growing tired of it? How do you think I feel?" He winced when the pressure on his throat increased.

The silver haired teen moved his gaze to Haley who was glaring at him. He chuckled, "Don't give me that face, Haley. Just except your loss and hand over the book."

She tightened her grip on the book. "Hell no! If you want this book, you're gonna have to take it from me!"

Orion raised an eyebrow. "I see. Even if I were to steal your partner's soul?"

Hazel eyes widened as her body froze. "Y-you wouldn't."

The red-eyed mamodo smirked, "Oh but I would. So if you don't want your partner to lose his soul, I recommend you hand over that book right away."

Haley clenched her fists. _"What should I do? If I hand over the book, then Kai will get sent back to the mamodo world. But if I don't, he'll lose his soul!"_ She bit her lip so hard she drew blood. _"I-I can't put Kai's life at risk. At least if I hand over the book, he'll still be alive."_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low chuckle coming from none other than Kai. "Kai?"

Orion gave the wind mamodo an annoyed look. "And what may I ask is so funny, Kai-kun?"

Kai smirked, "Sorry I just think it's funny that you believe we would fall for that trick."

Toshiro rose to his feet. "Trick?"

Orion scowled, "What are you talking about? There's no trick. I'm serious. If she doesn't hand over that book, I will steal your soul."

"No you won't"

Haley looked at her friend like he was crazy. "What are you saying? Of course he will! We've already seen him do it to Leon. What's stopping him from doing it to you?"

Kai continued to smirk. "It's because he's already done it to Leon that I know he won't do it to me."

Cerulean eyes widened. "You mean?"

Kai managed a small nod though it was difficult due to the increasing pressure on his neck. "Yes. I figured it out earlier that time when you attacked Haley. Instead of stealing her soul, you only attacked her. Why?"

Orion narrowed his eyes. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

The older mamodo grinned, "I had a feeling you'd say something like that. That only proves my point. That's why you only kidnapped one girl each night. It was because you can only steal one soul a day!"

Haley grew wide-eyed. "Are you serious? Then this whole time when he's been threatening to steal our souls, he was only trying to scare us?"

"Shut up!"

The three froze when they felt the dark aura emanating from a furious Orion. "That's it! I've had of enough of you three! You're finished!"

The grin on Kai's face didn't leave instead it grew larger. "Actually, I think that you're the one who's finished."

Orion glared at the wind mamodo but stopped when he looked down. Red eyes widened as he took in the sight of Kai's right hand gripping his bracelet. "Since when?"

"You have a habit of not noticing the important things. You really need to have that fixed."

Before the silver haired teen could respond, a familiar shout caused him to freeze. "Kazedron!"

Orion tried to throw Kai to the side, but the older mamodo kept a firm grip on the red-eyed teen's wrist. Orion could only watch in horror as Kai unleashed a powerful blast of wind at his bracelet instantly shattering the beads. "No!"

Kai let go of the other's wrist and jumped back. He massaged his throat as he watched Orion's body become engulfed in a bright light. When the light vanished, they saw that Orion was now back to his original size and appearance. Not only that, the younger mamodo's body looked completely worn out like he was about to collapse.

Haley ran over to her partner and hugged him. "That was awesome, Kai! You did it!"

The sapphire-eyed teen winced, "Easy. I'm injured, remember? Besides, you were the one who read the spell."

Toshiro chuckled, "True but you were the one who managed to grab his bracelet."

Kai shook his head. "In the end, it was all three of us that did it. It pains me to admit it, but I couldn't have done it without you, Nii-san."

The water mamodo grinned, "Aw are you actually showing appreciation to your big brother?"

His brother scowled, "Shut up, Nii-san."

"Don't think this fight is over!"

The three shifted their attention to Orion who was glaring weakly at them. "I'm not done yet!"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Hate to break it to you, but you are. First off your partner has a broken nose, so I doubt he'll be able to read a spell of yours correctly. And secondly, won't you die if you use your spells without having a human soul to absorb?"

Kai nodded, "She's got a point."

Toshiro cracked his knuckles. "Face it, kid. It's over for you."

Orion scowled, "Well I doubt you can use anymore spells, so you're in the same position as me."

"Not quite, you bastard."

Everyone froze when they heard the familiar voice. Slowly, Haley and the two brothers turned around to seeing a smirking Leon. "I hope you haven't forgotten about me already."

Hazel eyes stared in shock as her brother walked towards them. "L-Leon?"

Leon grinned, "The one and only." His grin turned to a frown when he took in Haley's appearance. "Hey what happened to yo-"

He was cut off his sister tackling him with a large hug. The red haired man put his arms around her to prevent them both from falling. "H-Haley?"

Her grip tightened. "You idiot! Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Leon's face softened. "Sorry that I worried you."

Toshiro walked over to his partner with a very relieved expression. "You better be sorry. I should beat you up for doing a crazy stunt like that."

Kai shook his head as he muttered, "Like you wouldn't have done the same thing."

"What was that, little brother?"

The wind mamodo shook his head. "Nothing."

Haley pulled back enough to glare at her brother. "If you ever do that again, I will beat you up!"

Leon chuckled, "Of course. I'll be more careful next time."

Kai yawned, "I hate to ruin the reunion, but our enemies are trying to get away."

The redheads and Toshiro quickly turned to see Orion trying to sneak away along with Tatsuya who was still holding his nose. When they realized they had been noticed, Orion and Tatsuya broke into a run heading for the door.

Emerald eyes narrowed. "Not so fast. I'm not done with you guys yet. Aisumera!"

Toshiro placed his hands on the ground completely covering it with ice. Orion and his partner were both quickly frozen to the ground unable to move.

Leon cracked his knuckles as he walked over to the two. "Don't think I haven't forgotten what you tried to do earlier. No one attacks my sister and gets away with it. And by looking at her now, I can tell you that you're in for a lot of retribution."

Tatsuya shook his head. "Di didn't do ganything go ger!" ("I didn't do anything to her!")

Leon smirked, "Maybe not though I can tell she got a hold of you which means you tried to hurt her at the very least."

The brown haired man gulped as Leon advanced toward him. He tried to punch at the red haired man but his fist was easily caught.

Leon grinned, "Now that's not the right way to punch. Here let me show you." He punched the older man in the chest knocking the air out of Tatsuya's lungs. "Now that's a real punch."

Haley rolled her eyes as she walked towards the two. "Enough showing off, Leon. Just grab the book already, so we can get out of here. I wanna see how the others are doing."

The older redhead sighed, "Fine." He easily took the beige book from the older man's hands and handed it to Haley. "Here you take care of it. I'm not done with this guy yet."

Leon grinned when he saw the nervous look on Tatsuya's face. Haley shook her head as she brought out a lighter and lit the beige book on fire.

Orion remained silent as he glared at the girl. His glare shifted when he caught sight of Kai and Toshiro standing in front of him. "Don't think this is over, Kai-kun. My clan will have its revenge."

Kai yawned, "Yeah yeah whatever. You sound like those guys who get their asses handed to them on the TV shows I watch."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "You watch TV? And here I thought all you did all day was sleep."

The wind mamodo glared at his brother before returning his gaze to a fading Orion. "I could care less what you or your clan does. You can't become mamodo king now and that's good enough for me."

Orion scowled, "You'll regret this, Kai-kun."

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "Somehow I doubt that." He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah that reminds me." He pulled his fist back and punched a surprised Orion in the face.

The ice mamodo grinned, "I've wanted to do that for a long time now."

Before Orion could retaliate, the red-eyed teen vanished returning back to the mamodo world. Kai shook his head. "I had a feeling you were gonna do that." He headed over to where his partner stood with Toshiro following right behind him.

His brother smirked, "Of course. I wanted to do a lot worse, but since time was of the essence I settled for a strong jab to the face. I wonder what his clan's reaction will be when they see his face."

Kai chuckled, "I don't know, but I wouldn't mind seeing their reactions."

When she heard the last bit of their conversation, Haley laughed, "Me too. That would be priceless." She shifted her gaze to Leon who walked over to her. "Do you feel better now?"

Leon crossed his arms. "Nah but that bastard is already unconscious so there's no point in beating him up anymore. Is his mamodo gone?"

Toshiro smirked, "Yeah. I sent him back with a nice going-away present."

The red haired man returned the smirk. "Nice."

Both Haley and Kai rolled their eyes at their brothers' antics and made their way over to where a still unconscious Sora and Jewel lay. The redhead leaned over and shook Sora. "Hey Sora, time to wake up."

Finally, after a good five minutes of shaking, the amber haired boy finally began to stir. Emerald eyes slowly opened then grew wide with surprise. He quickly looked around before freezing when he saw Jewel. "Jewel!" Sora reached over and grabbed the child pulling her into his lap.

When she saw Sora's anxious expression, Haley put a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention. When he looked up, the redhead smiled, "Don't worry, she's only unconscious."

The emerald-eyed teen released a sigh of relief before gently shaking the girl to wake her up. After a few minutes, the girl stirred and her rainbow-colored eyes opened. "S-Sora-nii?"

Sora grinned, "That's right. How are you feeling?"

Jewel nodded, "I'm okay, but what about you? I saw creepy eyes attack you. You're not injured are you?"

When he saw the child's watery eyes, the amber haired teen pulled her into a hug. "I'm fine. I'm just glad you're okay." He looked up and met eyes with Haley. "I have a feeling I have you to thank for that. So thank you."

Haley grinned, "You're welcome. Now let's get you two out of here, so you can see you mom."

Jewel's face grew excited. "You know where Mama is?"

The redhead nodded, "I sure do. Remember when I said we had friends looking for her and everyone else who was kidnapped? Well according to what Orion said, they managed to get away."

Sora smiled broadly. "So that means they're alright?"

Kai shrugged, "They should be considering we defeated Orion and released all the souls he stole."

Jewel jumped out of Sora's lap. "Let's go, Sora-nii! I wanna see Mama!"

Sora slowly rose to his feet and nodded, "Right."

Leon joined the group with Toshiro trailing behind him. "It looks like you two are okay."

Jewel grinned, "Yep! Now let's go see Mama!"

The group laughed when they saw the cerulean-haired girl run for the door. When she saw Sora start to limp towards the door, Haley frowned. The redhead walked over to the younger teen and put one of his arms around her shoulder.

Sora's face turned bright red. "W-what are you doing?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "What does it look like? You're injured, so I'm gonna help you walk."

The amber haired teen looked at his feet. "I can walk by myself."

She smiled, "Uh huh. Well I'm gonna help you anyway. You wouldn't wanna worry Jewel by falling over would you?"

Sora shook his head. "I guess not."

Haley grinned, "Then that settles it. Let's get going."

"Hold on, little sister."

Sora yelped when Leon appeared behind them and threw the younger teen over his shoulder. "W-what?"

Haley frowned, "What are you doing, Leon?"

Leon gave her an innocent look. "I'm carrying him of course. He doesn't need to be walking, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Well as long as Sora doesn't mind I guess it'll be alright. Are you okay with this, Sora?"

Not wanting to anger the taller man, Sora simply nodded, "Yeah. It's fine."

Leon grinned, "You heard the kid now let's get out of here!"

The red haired man headed for the door with a chuckling Toshiro following right behind him. She shook her head while Kai smirked, "He's as overprotective as ever."

Despite her frustration, Haley couldn't stop the corners of her lips curving upwards. "Yeah and I wouldn't have him any other way."

Kai wore a small smile. "Same here. Nii-san may annoy me, but he is family. Just don't tell him I said that."

She grinned at her partner. "You do the same for me, and it's a deal."

The two shared a laugh before Haley began to follow after the others. "Come on, Kai. Let's go home."

"I'm right behind you."

* * *

**The white haired woman mentioned at the beginning of the chapter whom I'm sure you've already guessesd to be Sora's mother belongs to Windraider. Don't worry I'll try to give her a speaking role next chapter. Also I hope her outfit was ok. I have no fashion sense so I just made something up lol**

**I wanna thank munchlax jr for helping me fix one of Tatsuya's lines so it sounded like he actually had a broken nose. The other ones I did by myself so if they sound stupid I apologize but I've never written somebody with a broken nose so I hope you'll cut me some slack. **

**I'm sorry if this chapter was kinda boring. I'm sure you guys are wondering why Haley only used one spell, but like I mentinoed earlier in the chapter, she had already used a bunch of spells so it made sense to me to not have her use many spells this chapter. **

**I'm sure you guys can already tell but this is the end of the arc well most of it. I will have the reunion next chapter but besides that, my first official arc is over! Yay me! And guess what? I have another one planned! I don't know if it'll be as long as this one but we'll be having some new OCs appearing shortly ; )**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^-^**


	20. Interesting Encounters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey guys! I actually didn't take longer than a week for this one haha One reason why is because I was really excited about writing this chapter I hope it shows in my writing : ) Thank you all for your wonderful reviews I'm so glad you enjoyed my first arc. And now we're gonna see the beginning of my second one well it's more like a showing of the new bad guy but I think that that's pretty important lol**

**Also I'm pretty sure you guys already know this but just in case "Senpai" is the term younger students use to address their upperclassmen.**

**Here's chapter 20 of A Battle To Remember! (I can't believe I'm already at chapter 20! ^-^)**

* * *

Haley put a hand to her mouth as she let out a loud yawn. She sluggishly wiped her eyes as she continued walking toward Nakura High. Luckily, despite the harsh battle she was involved in the night before, the redhead was relatively unharmed. There were a few small bandages here and there from when the glass embedded into her skin, but other than that, she was fine.

Another yawn escaped her lips. _"Maybe Kai was right. I probably shouldn't go to school after all. The only reason I decided I would go was because I didn't have any real injures like Derrick that would prevent me from going to school. I should save my absences for when they really count."_ She yawned again. _"Damn I hate mornings."_

As she walked, Haley thought back to what happened the previous night. When she remembered the time when everyone finally reunited, the girl couldn't help but smile.

_Jewel, who was the first person to make it outside the mansion, ran at top speed over to the white haired woman Kira had carried out of the dungeon. "Mama!"_

_When the cerulean haired child tackled her with a hug, the young woman appeared startled at first but started smiling as she hugged the girl close."Jewel! I'm so happy to see you! You're not hurt are you?"_

_Jewel shook her head. "Nope. I was more worried about you! Me and Sora-nii have missed you!"_

_The white haired woman smiled, "I've missed you too."_

_When he saw the reunion, Leon stopped and put Sora back on his feet allowing the amber haired teen to run over to his mother and partner. "Mom!"_

_The older woman hugged her son with her right arm while her left continued to hold Jewel. "Are you alright, Sora? You were limping."_

_Sora grinned, "I'm alright. I'm just glad to see you're okay. They didn't hurt you did they?"_

_His mother gave him a confused look. "Who are you talking about, Sora? Who are they?"_

_At this time, Derrick decided to enter the conversation. "Allow me to explain. First off, you're name's Sora right?" When he saw Sora nod, the jock continued, "You see none of the kidnapped victims that have woken up remember being kidnapped. The most they can recall is who or what they saw the night they disappeared. We were about to explain the situation to Hikari-san when you all arrived."_

_Hikari nodded, "That's right. All I can remember is leaving the house to go grocery shopping. After that, it's all a blur."_

_Sora blinked, "So let me get this straight, this whole time Orion's been threatening to steal my mom's soul and he had already done that when he first kidnapped her?"_

_Derrick frowned, "Unfortunately, that seems to be the case."_

_Jewel pouted, "I knew that creepy eyes couldn't be trusted! He's really bad!"_

_Alice walked over to the group. "He is, but he's gone now right? Since everyone got their souls back, that means he was defeated."_

_Sora nodded, "I didn't see it because I was unconscious at the time, but when I woke up, Haley-senpai and the others said they had defeated Orion."_

_"Alice!"_

_The group turned to see Haley running over to them. Alice grinned broadly as she ran to meet the redhead. The older girl scooped the child into her arms and gave her a big hug. "Haley! We've been so worried! Derrick-kun and Katsu-san wanted to go back inside once everyone woke up, but we didn't want to leave these people alone."_

_Haley smirked at the two boys mentioned. "Oh really?"_

_A red-faced Katsu made his way over to the older girl. "O-of course! You're not injured are you, Anego?"_

_The redhead shrugged, "Nah I'm okay. It's just a few scratches. I'll live."_

_Derrick grinned as he joined the group."That's good to hear. I hope they're not serious because I would hate for your beautiful skin to be marred in any way."_

_Haley rolled her eyes. "Uh huh whatever."_

_The football player chuckled before __a sudden presence behind him made him freeze. He slowly _around to see Leon standing there with his arms crossed. Derrick sweatdropped, "H-hey there Leon-san, I'm happy to see that you're okay as well."

_Leon smirked at the football player's nervousness. "Nice to see you too, Runners."_

_Haley sighed, "Leon, leave my friends alone." She blinked when she noticed a bloodied bandage on Derrick's side. "Derrick, what happened?"_

_When the jock raised an eyebrow, she pointed to his side. He grinned sheepishly. "Oh that? Well not long after we got separated, Alice and I ran into some lackeys of Orion and had to fight them. The dragon mamodo nicked me in the side while we were fighting."_

_Haley gazed down at Alice who was beginning to frown. The redhead was about to say something to try to cheer her up when a car horn interrupted her. Everyone turned to see a dark green truck driving towards them._

_Alice beamed, "It's Trance-kun and Yamamoto-san!" Yamamoto waved at the group with one hand as he pulled the truck to a stop. __Trance was in the front seat with a nervous Minoru sitting in the middle of the seat. _As soon as the truck came to a stop, Hikaru appeared as he jumped out of the truck bed and ran toward the group.

_Kari smiled widely as she ran to meet with her brother. "Onii-chan!"_

_Hikaru wore a relieved smile as he hugged his sister. "Kari. I've been so worried. Are you okay?"_

_His sister nodded as she continued to hug him tightly. "I'm fine. I heard about Kaji. How are you doing?"_

_He chuckled, "Don't worry about me or Kaji for that matter. That knucklehead is probably already back to picking fights in the mamodo world." _

_"I'm sorry. It's my fault you and Kaji had to go through all of this. If I hadn't gotten kidnapped, none of this would've happened."_

_Hikaru frowned as he shook his head. "It's not your fault, Kari, so don't blame yourself. It was mine for not protecting you better. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again."_

_Kari wanted to argue with her brother but knew it was pointless do to his stubbornness. Instead, she opted to just continue to hug Hikaru as if he'd disappear if she let go._

_While this was going on, the others had also exited the vehicle. Yamamoto and Trance made their way over to where their friends stood while Minoru scanned the area. When he didn't see who he was looking for, the bespectacled boy sighed sadly._

_"Minoru?"_

_The blue haired boy jumped in fear before quickly turning around to see the source of the voice. Grey eyes widened when he saw the blue haired woman and bespectacled man that were rescued from the dungeon. "Mom? Dad?"_

_The woman smiled with tear-filled eyes. "My baby." Tears began to form in Minoru's eyes as well as he tackled his mother with a hug. "Mom!"_

_His father smiled warmly with misty eyes as he hugged his wife and son. "We were so worried. The only thing we could think about was what could've happened to you while we were gone. Are you alright, son?"_

_Minoru nodded while still hugging his mother. "I'm fine. I should be asking you that. You're not hurt are you?"_

_The blue haired woman shook her head as she ran her hand through her son's hair. "No, dear. We're alright. We're just happy to see you're okay."_

_"I've missed you."_

_His father continued to smile. "We've missed you too, Minoru."_

_Haley grinned as she watched the two reunions take place in front of her. She then turned her gaze to her friends who were happily chattering with Yamamoto and Trance._

_"Looks like things worked out after all."_

She shook her head bringing herself back to the present. The girl continued to walk toward her school when another thought crossed her mind. Haley frowned, _"I wonder how those girls are doing. Tsukimori and Elizabeth were the only ones who woke up and Elizabeth took off as soon as she did not that I wanted her to stick around or anything." _She looked down. _"And Tsukimori didn't say anything after she woke up even after we explained the situation to her. I hope she's okay."_

The redhead was brought out of her thoughts this time by an arm wrapping around her shoulders. She blinked in surprise as she brought her gaze to her right to see a smiling Yamamoto. "Hey Yamamoto, didn't see you there. What's up?"

Yamamoto laughed, "You must've been thinking really hard, Senpai, considering I've been calling out to you for awhile now."

Haley blushed, "O-oh really? Sorry about that. I tend to tune everything out when I'm thinking."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I understand that. That's how I am when I'm playing baseball."

The girl smiled when she saw the happy expression on his face when he mentioned baseball. "You must really love baseball, Yamamoto."

Yamamoto blinked before grinning. "Yep! It's my all-time favorite sport."

She chuckled, "So where's Trance? Did you leave him at home?"

The baseball lover nodded, "He wanted to come, but Dad really needed help moving some large boxes. I told him I would, but he didn't want me to be late for school, so instead Trance volunteered to do it. He told me as soon as he was done he'd come to the school."

Haley grinned, "You two must be really close."

Yamamoto smiled, "Yeah Trance is great. He's like the little brother I've always wanted."

The redhead mentally "Awed" at that. "So where's your mamodo, Haley-senpai?"

She blinked, "Kai? Oh he's at home. As soon as we got back to my apartment, he fell straight asleep. He only woke up once when I was leaving to tell me not to bother going to school then he went back to sleep."

The raven haired teen chuckled when he saw the older girl roll her eyes. "By the sounds of it, you seem pretty close to your mamodo too."

Haley smiled, "Yeah I guess you're right. We've been through a lot together. Though I still wish he'd stop being such a lazy jerk sometimes."

Yamamoto let out another laugh as they continued their trek to school. "So how are the others doing? I remember seeing Derrick injured though he said it wasn't a big deal. I haven't heard from him this morning."

The girl crossed her arms. "Derrick called me after I left my apartment to tell me he wasn't going to school today. He wanted to but Alice was adamant that he stay home and rest." She chuckled, "And of course there's no way that Derrick can stand up against Alice. Luckily, there's no football practice today. I can't remember why though."

The younger teen shrugged, "Well as long as he doesn't miss football, I'm sure Derrick will be fine. I'll try to remember to take some notes for him. That is if I don't fall asleep." He laughed again.

She shook her head. _"Yamamoto sure __is a cheerful guy_. I don't think I've ever seen him frown before. I wonder if he's always like this."

"What about the others? Your brother and that angry looking guy? Doesn't he usually walk with you to school, Senpai?"

Haley smiled, "Yeah, but Katsu called me earlier as well to tell me he wanted to stay home to look after Kira. Like Derrick, Kira was injured in his battle. Katsu said Kira's injures were healing nicely, but he wanted to make sure Kira got the rest he needed and wouldn't push himself. If Katsu had gone to school, Kira would've just followed Katsu to make sure no other mamodo attacked him. Leon's doing fine. He didn't really get injured during the fight, so he and Toshiro are at work."

Yamamoto grinned, "That Katsu and his mamodo are quite protective of each other aren't they?"

She wore a similar grin. "Yeah they're a good team. Despite what people might think, those two are very kind-hearted."

Finally, after twenty minutes of walking together, the two arrived at the school gate. They were surprised to see a very familiar face standing there leaning against the nearby brick wall while reading a book.

Yamamoto asked, "Hey isn't that Tsukimori-senpai? Wasn't she one of the girls that were rescued last night? What's she doing at school?"

The redhead shook her head. "I have no idea. After all that she's been through, I would've thought she'd stay at home for at least a couple of days."

When Tsukimori looked up from her book and saw the two, she quickly put it away and walked over to them. The bespectacled girl twiddled with her fingers as she shifted her gaze from her shoes to the two. "U-um I-I wanted to t-thank you for s-saving me l-last night. I-I'm sorry I-I didn't say it s-sooner. I-I really appreciate w-what you d-did for me. I-I don't know h-how I can ever r-repay you for your k-kindness."

Haley smiled warmly. "You're welcome. Don't worry about it. You were just in shock at the time. We were just glad you were unharmed. How are you doing? I would've thought for sure that you wouldn't come to school today."

Tsukimori blushed when she saw the other girl's smile. "I-I wanted to c-come. A-after I came home, m-my parents had to l-leave again b-because of their j-jobs. I-I didn't want to s-stay home by m-myself."

The hazel-eyed girl frowned. _"Her parents left just like that? I can understand having to work, but surely their daughter is more important? Even though my parents are always busy, I know for a fact they'd never do that if I was in her position. Poor Tsukimori no wonder she always so shy. She's just like how I was when I was younger."_

Yamamoto smiled, "Well I'm glad you're feeling okay, Tsukimori-senpai. Everyone was really worried about you."

The older girl's face turned red again. "R-really? T-thank you, Yamamoto-kun."

Haley grinned, "That's right. The others will be happy when I tell them you're doing alright."

Tsukimori smiled shyly. "You are very kind, Storm-san."

The redhead winked, "That's what friends are for. Speaking of which, how about you call me Haley? Since we're friends now, you shouldn't have to worry about formalities."

Tsukimori's eyes widened. "A-are you sure?" When she saw the other girl nod, the bespectacled girl smiled, "O-ok, Haley-chan."

Haley gave her a thumbs-up. "Much better. Hey would it be okay if I called you by your first name too?"

Tsukimori blushed, "T-that's fine."

Yamamoto grinned, "What about me, Senpai?"

His grin grew when she shyly nodded. "Thanks, Reiko-senpai!"

Haley chuckled when she saw the other girl's blush darken. Their conversation was interrupted however by the loud ring of the school bell. "Looks like we better get to class. You wanna walk with us, Reiko?"

The bespectacled girl smiled, "I would like that."

Yamamoto laughed, "We better hurry, or we'll be late."

Haley grinned, "Then let's go!"

* * *

In a dimly lit unknown room, a young teen, no older than fifteen, sat at a large brown desk. The teen had spiky green hair and amber eyes with silver thin-rimmed glasses. He wore a white doctor's coat over a green sweater, black dress pants, and black shoes.

The desk was impeccably clean except for the two stacks of files near the edge of the desk. The green haired teen grabbed another file from the larger stack and flipped through its pages. He quickly threw it away apparently dissatisfied with whatever he read. The bespectacled teen continued this process of picking files before quickly dismissing them. Finally, after ten minutes had passed, he picked up a file with a very familiar picture.

In this picture were Haley and Kai who appeared to be walking somewhere. Amber eyes narrowed briefly as he read the file before a sinister grin formed. "They're perfect."

The green haired teen rose from his seat and dropped the file on top of the second stack that consisted of only two files. He walked past the desk and headed for the door. "I think it's time I put my plan into motion."

* * *

"Storm-san, your partner for the history project will be Ikeda-kun. Ikeda-kun, please sit over by Storm-san and begin discussing your project."

Haley blinked as she looked up at Suzuki-sensei before shifting her gaze to another teen that had stood up from his desk in the front row by the window. The boy walked over to her. He smiled, "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced. My name's Ikeda Heihachi."

Heihachi had shaggy dark orange hair that reached just above his shoulders, light blue eyes, and two lines on the upper parts of each cheek that resembled whiskers. He was around 5'9 and had a skinny build. The orange haired teen was wearing the usual Nakura High boy's uniform consisting of a white short-sleeved dress shirt and dark green pants along with a black belt. What really caught Haley's attention other than the weird whisker marks were the black goggles on his head.

The redhead returned the smile as she shook the offered hand. "Nice to meet you, Ikeda. I'm Haley Storm. I hope we'll get along well."

He grinned, "It's nice to meet you too, Storm-san. I'm sure we will." The orange haired teen took a seat in Katsu's empty desk.

Haley wagged a finger. "Now that we properly know each other, you can cut the formalities. Just call me Haley that's what all my friends do. All that –san stuff just makes me feel old."

Heihachi laughed, "Alright then you can call me by my first name too."

She smiled, "Sounds good to me, Heihachi. Now let's get to work on that project. I don't wanna get caught talking about anything else by Suzuki-sensei."

The blue-eyed teen nodded, and they began discussing what they wanted their project to be about as well as telling each other things about themselves. The two talked like that for the rest of the period until the bell finally rang.

After she gathered all of her belongings, Haley stood and stretched her arms. "Class is over already?" The girl chuckled, "Man I never thought I'd say that about Suzuki-sensei's class."

Heihachi grinned as he rose from his seat. "Me either. I had fun talking with you, Haley."

She returned the grin. "Me too. Maybe we'll meet up again in some of our other classes?"

The orange haired teen nodded, "Yeah I think we might have the same advanced math class if I remember correctly."

Haley followed him out the door. "Really? That's great! I guess I'll see you then!"

"See ya!"

* * *

Kai stretched his arms as he maneuvered himself into a more comfortable position on the tree branch he was lying on. The black haired teen yawned. _"Perfect weather for a long nap. By the time I wake up, Haley should be out of school, and I'll head home for lunch."_

Contrary to what Haley may believe, Kai doesn't stay inside all day sleeping while she's at school. Like today, Kai will sometimes go to the nearby park and sleep on the largest tree branch he can find.

For about an hour, the mamodo stayed like that just sleeping while listening to the birds chirp and the little kids play. This peacefulness didn't last long however. Kai was awakened by a young voice asking, "Hey what are you doing?"

The lazy teen opened an eye to look at a young boy hanging upside down from the branch above him. The boy appeared to be about a year older than Alice. He had spiky electric blue hair and pale blue eyes. The child was wearing a white t-shirt decorated with a red and blue rocket ship, blue shorts, and white sneakers.

Kai's eye narrowed when he noticed the black lines running from under the blue haired child's eyes to his chin. _"A mamodo."_

The other mamodo waved his hand in front of Kai's face. "Hey did you hear me?"

The black haired teen sat up and sighed. _"Well he doesn't seem dangerous. If he really wanted to fight me, he would've attacked me while I was sleeping." _"Yeah I heard you, kid. I just didn't bother replying because the answer's kinda obvious. I was sleeping."

The child grinned apparently unaffected by the older mamodo's sarcasm."Oh! My name's Jet. What's yours?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. _"Does this kid even know I'm a mamodo?" _"Kai."

Jet continued to grin. "Nice to meet you, Kai! Do you wanna play with me? My book owner's at school so I'm by myself today."

"Book owner?"

The blue haired child put his hands to his mouth. "Oops! I'm not supposed to say that. Heihachi doesn't like when I talk about the mamodo battle in front of other humans."

Kai sweatdropped. _"This kid can't be serious." _"Don't worry about it. I won't tell him."

Jet smiled, "Really? Thanks, Kai! You're a really nice guy!"

The wind mamodo scratched his head. _"I wonder if I should bother telling him I'm a mamodo too. Nah sounds like too much of a hassle. If I tell him, he might wanna fight. The last thing I want to do today is fight a kid."_

Jet unlocked his legs from the branch above and dropped down to sit in front of Kai on the large branch. "So do you wanna play with me?"

Kai yawned, "Not really. The reason I came out here was to take a nap."

The blue haired child tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

Kai sighed, "Because"

"Because why?"

The black haired mamodo closed his eyes. "Because I wanted to."

Jet frowned, "That's not a real reason."

Kai shrugged, "It's good enough for me."

The blue-eyed child pouted, "Aw come on please? We'll just play for a little while then you can go back to your nap."

Kai was about to decline when he opened his eyes to see Jet's puppy dog eyes. _"Aw damn not those." _A few seconds passed before he finally sighed, "Fine! Just cut that out!"

Jet grinned as he threw his hands in the air. "Yay! Let's play tag. You're it!" He poked Kai in the leg and jumped out of the tree.

Unlike the blue haired child, Kai made his way out of the tree at a slower pace. When he reached the ground, the lazy teen released another sigh. _"What did I get myself into?"

* * *

_

The final bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Haley grinned as she walked out of her classroom and headed outside. Her grin grew once she was outside basking in the sunlight. _"This is much better than sitting in any old classroom. Man am I glad classes are shorter on Saturdays. I guess I should head home and check up on Kai."_

She was about to leave when some noises from nearby caught her attention. Haley followed the voices until she came to the side of the school where the school troublemakers usually hang out.

There she saw three older guys picking on a brown haired boy who appeared to be about a year or two younger than her. When she saw the boy get pushed down by the other guys, the redhead decided it was time to intervene. Haley was about to announce her presence when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

Hazel eyes widened when she saw Heihachi walk towards the four guys from the other side of the school. The orange haired teen helped the younger boy up and dusted off his clothes. "Are you alright? You should probably start heading home. Your parents will be worried, Rikichi."

The brown haired boy shifted his gaze between Heihachi and the other older teens. "B-but Heihachi, what about you?"

Heihachi grinned, "I'll be fine. You just leave this to me. Now go on, you'll get in trouble with your mom if you're late right?"

Rikichi nodded before giving another glance to the older guys who were now scowling at Heihachi. With one last glance at the orange haired teen's smiling face, the boy took off. "Thank you!"

The blue-eyed teen waved at Rikichi. "No problem! Get home safely!"

One of the guys took a step toward Heihachi while cracking his knuckles. He had black buzz cut and green eyes. Like the other two, the older man was wearing baggy clothes and had piercings. "So you think you can take us on do you?"

Heihachi brought up his hands in a placating manner. "Actually, I have no plans in fighting you. I hate violence. So how about we settle this peacefully?"

The three older men shared a look and began laughing. The black haired teen shoved Heihachi. "Yeah right, kid. That's the funniest thing I've heard all day. We'll teach you not to mess with us."

When he saw the older man bring back his fist for a punch, the orange haired teen brought up his arms to guard his face. _"Well this could've gone better." _

"Hold it right there, you bastard!"

Heihachi reopened his eyes just in time to see Haley kick the black haired man in the head. Blue eyes widened. "Haley?"

As soon as the green-eyed man fell, the other two attacked the redhead. Haley avoided both of their punches and kneed one of them in the stomach. When the second one went down, the last guy standing took a step back as if trying to decide whether to run or not.

Unfortunately for him, Haley made his decision for him. She ran forward and gave him a hard punch right in the face. The older teen went down like a ton of bricks.

Heihachi stared at the girl in amazement. Haley walked over to him. "Are you alright, Heihachi?"

The blue-eyed teen nodded, "I'm fine thanks to you. That was amazing, Haley. How'd you do that?"

She shrugged, "I learned a bit of martial arts back when I lived in America. More importantly,-" Her eyes narrowed. "What were you thinking? You could've gotten really hurt if I hadn't shown up! I can understand you wanting to help that boy, but you should've at least defended yourself!"

Heihachi frowned, "I know, but I hate fighting. I don't mind if it's to protect someone else, but otherwise I prefer to avoid violence."

Haley whacked him on the head. "What kind of crazy reasoning is that? What if that Rikichi kid found out you got beat up because of him? How do you think he'd feel? Or what about your parents? I'm sure they'd be worried about you!"

The orange haired teen looked down. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you will. You just have that kind of personality where you always wanna help someone. But from now on it's gonna be different because I'm gonna be with you."

Heihachi looked up to see Haley smiling at him. The girl gave him a thumbs-up. "Every time you get yourself into trouble, I'll be there to help bail you out. I got your back, Heihachi."

Blue eyes widened as a large grin formed on his face. "Thank you." He shook his head. "Though I don't know if I should approve of having a girl fighting my battles for me."

Haley cracked her knuckles as she smirked, "Something wrong with being protected by a girl?"

"Of course not! I just mean I should be able to take care of myself."

The redhead grinned, "Then get stronger. Until you've come up with a way to take care of yourself without having to go against your beliefs, I'll be here to help. That's what friends are for anyway, right?"

Heihachi smiled, "Right."

* * *

Since they were free for the rest of the day, Haley and Heihachi decided they'd hang out and walk around the city. For over an hour, the two just talked and laughed enjoying each other's company.

Haley stopped walking when she thought she heard someone shout "Help!". Heihachi, who noticed his friend's lack of movement, also came to a halt. "Haley?"

The two hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going which was why they were walking near the city's waterway. Instead of replying, the redhead walked off the sidewalk to get a better look at the bottom of the hill.

When she looked below, Haley saw a young boy who looked to be around 7 years old. He had messy blond hair covered by a newsboy cap and dull grey eyes. The child was wearing a white dress shirt, a black vest, and black dress pants. In his mouth was what appeared to be a long strand of wheat.

The girl noticed the boy was running over to the stream. She noticed the usually calm waters were now moving rapidly. _"That's right. It rained pretty hard not long after we got back last night didn't it? That's probably why the water hasn't calmed yet. I better get that kid out of there. He might fall in."_

Heihachi walked up beside his friend and saw the blond boy. He then turned his gaze to where the kid was staring. The orange haired teen squinted his eyes. "Hey what's that in the water?"

Haley looked at her friend before following his gaze. After a few seconds, her eyes widened before she broke out into a run heading straight for the gushing stream.

Her friend took off after her. "Haley? What's the matter?"

The redhead didn't let up on her speed. Instead, she moved faster and continued to stare at the water. "There's a little girl out there! She's drowning!"

* * *

**The two kids mentioned at the end are the wonderful creations of stevethemime. Don't worry they will be properly introduced in the next chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger though lol**

**Heihachi and Jet are my creations. I think one of the reasons I was excited about this chapter was because I wanted to introduce these two. Don't worry they won't end up becoming main characters like Katsu. I just really wanted to put them in here. Let me know what you think about them X D**

**Sorry if the flashback wasn't what you expected. I just didn't want to focus a lot of the chapter on everyone getting out. I decided it would be best to just focus on the reunions instead. If you're wondering how Yamamoto and the others knew when to come, Derrick called them as soon as his group made it outside : ) Also I don't know anything about waterways in Japan so please pretend what I wrote makes sense haha**

**Well other than the cliffhanger, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter X ) There's not much action in it, but I promise there will be a mamodo fight soon ; )**

**Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! ^_^**


	21. Necro's Trap

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey everybody! I'm back! So far I've got a steady update schedule going on I hope I'll be able to keep it up ; ) I'm so glad you like my new characters and enjoyed the last chapter even with its lack of action. Thank you for all the awesome reviews!**

**Iron-Arm-V: I hadn't even noticed how close I was to 100 reviews til I read your review. I can't believe it! I'm so excited X D**

**Here's Chapter 21 of A Battle To Remember! I hope you enjoy it! ^_^**

* * *

Haley dropped her backpack when she got closer to the water. "Hey kid, get back! I'll get her!"

The blond haired boy turned toward her and opened his mouth to reply, but the redhead had already jumped in the water before he could say anything.

Heihachi put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder and guided him away from the rushing waters. "Don't worry, she'll save your friend. Haley's really reliable."

The grey-eyed child simply nodded, "Logically speaking, your friend would definitely have more of a chance of saving Uuda than me. Her arms and legs will help her swim farther than what I could be capable of." He turned to face the older teen. "Though I would have preferred that you jumped in instead, Sir. A lady shouldn't have to do such things if a man is available."

Heihachi sweatdropped. _"Wow this kid's intense. I've never seen someone this young so serious. And now I feel guilty." _"It's not like I wouldn't have jumped in, but Haley jumped in before I could stop her! Once her mind's set on something, you can't stop her."

The blonde gave the orange haired teen a dull stare before switching his gaze back toward the water. Heihachi sighed. _"Somehow it feels like I'm talking to a brick wall."_

Haley took a deep breath as she emerged from under the water. Hazel eyes quickly surveyed her surrounding before she zeroed in on the girl struggling in the water. The redhead swam over to the child as fast as her body would allow.

Despite the intense current, Haley was finally able to reach the other girl. All she could see of the child was the girl's head which had long straight black hair. At the moment, the child's eyes were closed as she fought to stay above water.

The redhead reached out and grabbed the flailing girl. Immediately, pure white eyes opened in surprise at seeing Haley. When the shock wore off, the child swiftly clung to the older girl like a lifeline with one of her hands. After she made contact, she brought her other hand out of the water which was holding a large highly decorated straw hat. "T-thank you!"

Haley grinned as she maneuvered the black haired girl's position so that she was on the hazel-eyed girl's back with her arms around the redhead's neck. "No problem, kid. Now hold tight, I'm gonna get us back on dry land."

When she saw the white-eyed child nod, the older girl began swimming toward the shore where Heihachi and the blond haired boy stood. Finally, after a good couple of minutes swimming, both girls made it to dry land.

The hazel-eyed teen collapsed to the ground as soon as she made sure the other girl was alright. She panted, "Ok that was my exercise for the day."

Heihachi chuckled, "Quite a workout." He leaned over the redhead as she turned so that she was facing the sky instead of the ground. "You okay?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah I'm fine." She shifted her gaze to the black haired girl that was sitting beside her. "What about you? Are you alright?"

The white-eyed child smiled, "Yep! I'm fine thanks to you, Miss. You were like my knight in shining armor! Except you're a girl and you didn't come on a horse or wear any armor. That reminds me." She turned to the blond haired boy who was standing nearby. "Why didn't you try to save me, Marly? The prince is always supposed to save the princess!"

Marly sighed, "That would have been illogical. If you were so easily swept up into the current, how would I have fared? You shouldn't have been playing so close to the water in the first place."

His friend pouted, "It's not my fault! The wind blew my hat off into the water I had to get it! I didn't mean to fall in!"

Haley sat up and attempted to squeeze the water out of her ponytail. "Oh so that's why you were holding your hat like that. I was wondering about that."

Marly walked over to the redhead and bowed his head slightly in a respectful manner. "Thank you for saving Uuda, Ma'am. We are in your debt."

The older girl blinked not used to seeing such politeness or seriousness from someone at such a young age. "Uh you're welcome. It was no problem. You don't have to pay me back or anything. I did what any normal human being would have done. And you don't have to call me 'Ma'am', my name's Haley. Your names are Marly and Uuda, right?"

Uuda grinned, "That's me! It's nice to meet you, Haley!" She then giggled, "But don't expect Marly to drop the polite talk. He's like that with all older girls."

Marly gave his friend a stern look. "You should treat your elders with more respect, Uuda. Especially since Haley-san saved your life."

Haley scratched her head. "I really don't mind actually. I'm from America, so I'm not used to such formal talk."

Heihachi smiled, "Even though I've lived here in Japan all my life, I'm not a big fan of it either, so you kids can call me by my first name as well. My name's Heihachi by the way."

Uuda squeezed the water out of her hat and put it on her head. "Nice to meet you, Heihachi!" She frowned when she noticed how wet the floral sun-dress she was wearing was. "Marly! We need to go shopping! I can't walk around looking like this!"

Marly gave her a bored stare. "Why can't you just lie out in the sun and let your clothes dry?"

White eyes widened. "I can't do that! I'll catch a cold! Or worse, my dress might wrinkle!"

Haley couldn't stop herself from laughing when she saw how the blond boy simply continued to give his friend a dull look. "You two are really interesting." She rose to her feet and brushed off the stray blades of grass from her uniform. "How about you two come over to my apartment? I think I might have something Uuda could wear. I have a few articles of clothing that are too small for me because I left them in the dryer for too long. I've been meaning to get rid of them but haven't gotten around to it yet. And while you wear some of those, I can put our clothes in the dryer."

Uuda smiled, "That sounds great! We'd love too, right Marly?"

Marly sighed, "If it means we don't have to go shopping, I guess it's alright. Are you sure, Haley-san? We wouldn't want to be a burden to you or Heihachi-san."

The redhead shook her head. "It's no problem. Besides, I need to head home anyway, so I can change my clothes."

Uuda pouted, "You're so cheap, Marly! The only reason you're saying we can go is so we don't have to go shopping!" She walked over to the blond boy and leaned over to try to kiss him. "But I still like you anyway!"

Marly easily avoided the kiss and shook his head. "Stop behaving so weirdly. Your actions don't make sense."

Haley gave the black haired girl a sympathetic look when she saw the imaginary bolt of lightning strike the child at the blonde's words. _"Looks like Marly's pretty dense to Uuda's feelings. Poor girl."_

Heihachi also noticing the exchange tried to lighten up the mood. "Maybe we should get going? You two shouldn't stay in those wet clothes for much longer."

Marly nodded, "Heihachi-san is correct. Would you please lead us to your home, Haley-san?"

Haley blinked, "Uh sure thing. Follow me."

She made a move to pick up her discarded backpack, but Marly beat her too it. He also picked up a small black travel bag that was lying nearby. When he noticed her raised eyebrow, the blonde simply said, "I'll carry your bag for you, Ma'am."

The redhead smiled, "That's very kind of you, Marly. Thank you, but you don't have to. You're already caring a bag of your own."

Marly shook his head. "It's no problem, Ma'am. It's the least I can do after all you've done for us."

"Ok if you're sure."

Haley scratched her head. _"Man, I don't know how I'm gonna get used to this politeness. I gotta say though his parents sure did a good job at teaching him manners."

* * *

_

"I'm so glad to be out of those wet clothes."

Haley continued to dry her hair with a towel as she walked out of her room. Instead of her uniform, the redhead was now wearing a green t-shirt and white shorts. "I definitely prefer wearing shorts over skirts."

"I don't!"

The older girl looked behind her to see Uuda frowning while crossing her arms. The black haired child was dressed in a large white t-shirt and blue shorts. "These are so not fashionable!"

Haley sighed, "I already said I was sorry. When I was your age, I never wore girly clothes. It was strictly shirts and shorts for me. It just kinda stuck with me."

Uuda grabbed the older girl's hand and gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you had such a sad childhood, Haley." Before the redhead could respond, the child's expression became more determined. "But that ends now! We're gonna go shopping and buy you some cute clothes! And while we're at it, we can get me some new clothes too!"

Marly shook his head. "You can't just make decisions like that Uuda. Haley-san might not want to buy clothes, and I do not want to spend my money on more clothes for you."

Uuda pouted, "You're such a spoilsport, Marly!"

Haley crossed her arms. "Well it's true I'm not a big fan of shopping, but I don't mind taking Uuda to the mall as long as she doesn't make me try on any clothes. In fact-" She grinned, "I have someone else in mind you can dress up, Uuda. How does that sound?"

White eyes widened. "Really? I would love to! Who is it?"

As soon as the question was spoken, the front door opened to reveal Kai with a laughing Jet hanging off of his arm. Kai frowned, "Will you let go already? I told you I'm done playing. I want to go to sleep."

Haley winked at Uuda. "Here he is now." The older girl walked over to her partner. "Hey there Kai, where have you been? I was kinda surprised when I didn't find you here sleeping."

Kai pulled his arm away from the younger mamodo. "I was in the park napping. Unfortunately, this kid found me and made me play with him for hours. Even after I told him I was going home, he wouldn't leave me alone."

"Jet?"

Haley and the two mamodo turned to look at Heihachi who was staring wide-eyed at the blue haired child. Jet grinned before he tackled the orange haired teen with a hug. "Heihachi! What are you doing here? Are you done with school now? I was having so much fun with Kai that I didn't pay attention to the time."

Kai gave the two a suspicious look. "Haley, why is that kid's book owner in your apartment?"

The room went quiet when everyone heard the wind mamodo's question. The silence was broken however seconds later by a flurry of questions.

"He's a mamodo?"

"How did you know I'm a mamdo?"

"Haley, you're a book owner too?"

"You know about mamodo?"

Marly, the only one other than Kai who had remained quiet, sighed, "I think it would be best if we take turns speaking instead of shouting at each other."

Kai raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Who is this kid? And why are they're so many people in your apartment?"

Haley grinned sheepishly. "Well you see a lot has happened since I left this morning." She quickly explained to her partner what all had happened to her including meeting Heihachi and saving Uuda from drowning.

The black haired teen shook his head. "You're just a magnet for trouble, you know that? Leon's right you really don't need to go anywhere by yourself."

Haley huffed, "Shut up. I can take care of myself."

Jet turned to Heihachi. "Were you really gonna let yourself get beat up again, Heihachi? I thought you said you were gonna be more careful. I know Rikichi is your neighbor, but you shouldn't be so reckless when I'm not around to protect you!"

The orange haired teen put a hand on the child's head. "Sorry about that, Jet. I promise from now on I'll be more careful. I mean it. Besides, I have a feeling I'll face Haley's wrath if I don't."

Haley smirked, "You got that right." She smiled at Jet. "Don't worry, Jet. I'll make sure your book owner stays out of trouble at school."

Jet grinned, "Wow you're just as nice as Kai! I'm glad you're a friend of Heihachi's."

She chuckled as she raised an eyebrow at her mamodo. "Nice as Kai huh? That's quite the compliment."

Kai scowled, "Shut up. It's not like I had any choice in the matter."

Jet tilted his head in confusion. "If you knew I was a mamodo, then why didn't you say you were one when we first met?"

The wind mamodo shrugged, "Too troublesome. Besides, I didn't want to end up having to fight you. Fighting is such a pain."

Uuda walked over to the taller mamodo. "But don't you want to become the mamodo king?"

Kai scratched his head. "Not really. That's all Haley. She's the one who wants me to become king."

Heihachi laughed, "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

Haley crossed her arms. "Kai will make a good king. I just need to beat all that laziness out of him first."

Her partner rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that."

The redhead stuck her tongue out at her mamodo before shifting her attention toward Marly who had been quiet for some time. "Hey Marly, would it be okay if we don't do any fighting today? I know Heihachi doesn't like violence, so he wouldn't want to. And Kai could really care less. Personally, now that we're friends, I don't want to fight with you either."

Grey eyes stared at her briefly before he nodded, "That's fine with me, Ma'am. It wouldn't be right to make a lady fight if she doesn't want to."

Haley grinned, "Thanks, Marly. You're a good kid."

Uuda smiled, "Marly's the best!" She attempted to kiss the blonde like before, but he avoided her again. Marly shook his head. "You're acting weird again." At his words, the black haired child was struck by another bolt of lightning.

The older girl walked over to Uuda to try to cheer her up. "Hey Uuda, how about we go on that shopping trip? You're clothes from earlier should be dry by now, but we can still go to the mall."

At her words, the white-eyed child's face immediately brightened. "Really? And we can pick out a new outfit for Kai too?"

Haley winked, "Yep. You bet."

Kai frowned, "Hey wait a minute. Why do I have to go shopping?"

His partner smirked, "Because you need some new clothes. What kind of partner would I be if I made you wear the same thing every day?"

He was about to complain but stopped when he noticed the honest look in the redhead's eyes. Kai sighed, "Fine, but it better not take more than an hour."

Haley and Uuda high-fived. "Alright!"

Jet tugged on Heihachi's arm. "Hey let's go too, Heihachi!"

The orange haired teen raised an eyebrow. "Why? I didn't think you liked shopping."

His partner shook his head. "I don't, but there are some food shops in the mall right? I'm hungry!"

Heihachi chuckled, "Alright it's fine with me. Hey Haley, do you mind if we tag along?"

Haley grinned, "Not at all. The more the merrier." She turned to Marly. "Is this okay with you, Marly?"

Marly nodded, "As long as Uuda doesn't spend a lot of money, it's alright. Be careful she tends to go overboard."

Uuda pouted, "I do not! I only buy what's necessary!"

"Last time you tried to buy a diamond necklace."

The black haired child put her hands on her hips. "It matched perfectly with my dress!"

Haley laughed, "How about you get changed, Uuda? Your clothes are in the dryer in the room beside mine."

Uuda beamed, "Okay! I'll be right back!" The child swiftly ran out of the room.

Heihachi grinned, "She sure seems excited."

Marly shifted the strand of wheat to the other side of his mouth. "Uuda loves shopping. She could do it for hours if she had the money."

Haley smiled, "She acts just like a human girl would at her age."

Kai shook his head. "Don't let her fool you. I can sense a lot of power from that kid. By the way-" He raised an eyebrow. "How could you not tell she was a mamodo? Have you looked at her eyes?"

She crossed her arms. "I kinda had more important things on my mind at the time like I don't know saving her from drowning? After that, I didn't really give it much thought."

The wind mamodo rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't" He winced after getting hit on the head. "What was that for?"

"You deserved it."

Uuda ran back into the room once again wearing her floral sundress and her wide-brimmed straw hat which had finally dried off. "I'm ready!"

Kai sighed, "Let's get this over with."

Jet grinned, "This should be fun! I've never been to a mall before!"

Uuda smiled, "It's amazing! You'll love it!"

Marly followed his mamodo as she headed for the door. "Maybe I'll find a good coffee shop there."

Heihachi sweatdropped. _"Coffee? Seriously? How old is this kid?"_

Haley smirked, "This will definitely be an interesting trip."

* * *

Haley took another sip of her soda as she sat with Marly in the food court. Currently the two were by themselves because the others had disappeared into different parts of the mall. As soon as the group had entered the mall, an excited Jet took off in a random direction and Heihachi had to run after him.

Not long after that, Uuda had grabbed Kai and dragged him into the nearest clothing store. Haley and Marly, who didn't want to go inside the store, decided to wait outside. Before the black haired child had run off with Kai, Haley had managed to give him enough money for clothes, so the two mamodo wouldn't need to look for her later.

After the two book owners got the drinks they wanted, they sat down to wait for their mamodo to finish with their shopping. Haley watched Marly, who was sitting across from her, drink his coffee. She internally cringed. _"I can't believe he can drink that stuff. I can't stand coffee. I don't even like the smell of it."_

For about an hour, the two sat in silence waiting for their mamodo. The blonde haired boy wasn't very talkative, and Haley couldn't think of anything good to talk about.

Surprisingly, Marly was the one to finally break the silence. "Haley-san, may I ask you a question?"

The redhead slightly jumped in her seat apparently caught off guard by the boy suddenly speaking. "Yeah sure thing, Marly. What's up?"

Grey eyes focused on her. "Why do you want your mamodo to become king?"

Haley scratched her head. "Hmm I asked myself that same question not long after I met Kai. It's obvious he doesn't want to become king. Hell, right now I can't see him getting very upset if his book happened to get burned."

"Then why?"

If the blond haired boy was surprised by the older girl's sudden grin, he didn't show it. "Because he's my friend, why else? When we first met, he saved my life, but that's not the reason why I help Kai. It might have been at first but not now. After all the different mamodo we've encountered, like the ones who hurt others or want to win for selfish reasons, I felt that if anyone should become king it should be Kai. Kai may be lazy, but he's reliable. He's also very smart. I think with his quick wit he'd be able to rule the mamodo world wisely."

The edges of Marly's lips curved slightly upwards. Haley had to blink to make sure she wasn't imagining things. As soon as it appeared though, the expression quickly faded reverting back to the blonde's usual straight-faced look. "I see. That seems like a logical reason."

She laughed, "I don't know about logical, but it works for me."

Their conversation was cut short by Uuda shouting, "Hey guys, we're done!"

The two book owners looked up to see their mamodo walking towards them. Haley smirked when she saw her partner. Instead of his usual clothes, Kai was now wearing a silver shirt, a dark blue jacket, a silver scarf, black pants, and black boots.

Haley whistled, "Wow good job, Uuda. You actually managed to make Kai look cool. You really are a pro at this."

Uuda gave her a thumbs-up. "Of course! There's no such thing as a person I can't dress up!"

Kai scowled, "I'm not a doll. And quit talking about me like I'm not here."

His partner chuckled, "Sorry about that. So what do you think of your new outfit, Kai? It can't be all that bad considering you're wearing it and not complaining."

The wind mamodo sighed, "It's fine I guess. I'm only wearing this because she wouldn't let me leave the store unless I did. Little brat."

Uuda gave him the puppy dog eyes. "But I thought you liked your clothes, Kai."

"Why does everybody keep doing that?"

Marly walked over to his partner. "I hope you didn't spend all of Haley-san's money, Uuda."

Haley smiled, "Don't worry about it. It was money worth spent. Kai needed some new clothes."

Kai muttered to himself. "My old clothes were fine." He then yawned, "Can we go now? I haven't gotten the chance to nap in hours."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. It's not up to us, Kai. Uuda and Marly might want to stay longer. And we still need to find Heihachi and Jet."

"Here we are!"

Heihachi and Jet walked towards the two while eating vanilla ice cream cones. Heihachi grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about running off like that. Jet's a really inquisitive kid. He gets like that with new things."

Jet smiled, "The human world is so exciting!"

Marly turned toward Haley. "We can go if you want to, Haley-san. I think Uuda's done enough shopping today anyway."

Uuda crossed her arms. "Aw Marly! I've only been to five stores!"

Haley sweatdropped. _"Only five?" _"Well it is getting late. I probably should be heading home. My brother gets off work soon, and I don't want him to come looking for me once he realizes I'm not at home."

Marly nodded, "That's fine. We'll escort you."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "_Escort? They're the kids. Shouldn't we be taking them home?"_ Instead of voicing his thoughts out loud, the wind mamodo simply sighed, "Whatever. Let's just get out of here."

Both Uuda and Jet pouted, "Aw do we have too?"

Simultaneously, Heihachi and Marly answered, "Yes." Heihachi grinned at the other book owner while Marly simply gave the other a dull stare.

Haley chuckled while shaking her head as she began walking toward the mall's entrance. _"What a day this has been."

* * *

_

"Hey Heihachi, where exactly do you live?"

Heihachi shifted his gaze to give Haley a questioning look. The three mamodo teams had been walking together for around ten minutes since leaving the mall talking with each other. At the moment, the group was walking down a deserted road with large trees planted nearby. He raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sudden question?"

Haley shrugged, "I was just wondering. After all, I'd hate to make you walk with us all the way to my apartment if you live on the other side of town."

The orange haired teen grinned, "Don't worry about that. I live near the park where Jet met Kai. It won't be that far of a walk for us."

She nodded, "I see. I hope your parents won't be mad about us keeping you out so late."

Heihachi scratched his head. "Well it's not all that late, so it should be alright. Besides, while we were in the mall I called my mom to let her know I'd be home later than usual. She's probably not even home yet since she usually works late."

"What about your dad?"

Haley immediately knew she said something wrong when after her question Heihachi's and Jet's expressions became sad. Hazel eyes widened. "Oh I'm sorry! I shouldn't ask such personal questions. I only just met you today."

The blue-eyed teen brought his gaze up and smiled sadly. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean any harm by it. It's already been over a month since my dad passed away. He died while he was test flying a new plane. He was a great pilot, but there was an accident. They said something was wrong with the plane's controls. Whenever he's mentioned, I can't stop myself from feeling down."

Jet frowned when he saw his partner's sad expression. "Heihachi."

Marly, who had been relatively quite during the trip, nodded solemnly. "It's understandable. No matter how long ago the loss took place anyone would still feel sad about it."

Haley put a reassuring hand on the orange haired teen's shoulder. "We're only human. So don't worry about it. I know if I were in your shoes I would feel the same way."

Heihachi gave the other book owners a warm grin. "Thanks, guys."

Uuda twirled on her toes. "That's what friends are for, Heihachi! So now you don't have to be sad anymore! Whenever you're down, we'll cheer you up!"

Jet grinned at his partner. "That's right! Remember what I told you before, you're not alone anymore! Now you have even more friends!"

Kai stretched his arms. "As long as you have people by your side, nothing's too hard to overcome. You'll be fine."

Heihachi's grin grew at the mamodos' words. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

The cheerfulness didn't last however as an unfamiliar voice shouted, "Dataru!"

Everyone froze when they heard what sounded like a dog barking. The mamodo quickly grabbed their partners and jumped out of the way just in time to dodge a large dark blast of energy.

Immediately, the book owners pulled out their books from their bags while their mamodo got into a defensive position. When the smoke cleared from the blast, two figures could be seen. One was a teenage boy who appeared to be around Haley's age and was close to 5'9. He had curly brown hair with matching eyes. The newcomer was dressed very plainly with a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. In his left hand he held a dark brown book.

Beside the brown haired teen stood one of the largest Rottweilers Haley had ever seen. The pitch black dog bared its teeth at the group. Haley gulped. _"That is not a normal dog. That thing is like half as tall as its book owner!"_

Kai narrowed his eyes as he moved in front of Haley. "Looks like we're in for a fight."

Heihachi clutched Jet's red spell book to his chest. "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

Jet grinned, "Don't worry, Heihachi! There's six of us and only two of them! Besides, I'll be doing the fighting you just need to read the spells!"

The orange haired teen sighed, "Either way it's still fighting."

Marly kept a firm grip on the peach colored book in his right hand. "Unless you wish to run, we have no other choice in the matter. I highly doubt they'd let us run away anyway."

Uuda put her hands on her hips. "This will be easy! That dog won't stand a chance against us!"

Haley smirked, "That's the spirit. I wish Kai had that kind of enthusiasm."

Kai yawned, "Whatever."

For the first time since arriving, the brown-eyed stranger finally spoke. "We have no interest in the two mamodo children or their partners. We only want the wind mamodo and his partner. If you don't want to get hurt, I recommend you come along quietly."

Haley stiffened while Kai glared at the other book owner. "Why do you want us?"

"You'll find out if you come with us."

The wind mamodo was about to decline, but the two younger mamodo beat him to it. Jet crossed his arms as he stood in front of Kai. "No way! Kai and Haley aren't going anywhere! You'll have to get through me first!"

Uuda nodded as she stood beside the blue haired child. "We won't let you hurt our friends!"

Marly moved so that he was standing closer to Haley. "A man should never stand back as a lady is forced to do something she doesn't want to."

Heihachi put a hand on the redhead's shoulder and grinned, "That's right."

Haley smiled while Kai wore a small smirk. "You heard them. We're not going anywhere."

The brown haired teen sighed, "So be it. Ace, it looks like we'll have to use force."

His partner let out a loud growl. The dark brown book gave off a bright glow. "Dataru!"

Ace opened its mouth and fired another dark blast of energy at the group. Uuda moved in front of the attack. "Now, Marly!"

"Unu!"

The black haired girl lifted her open palms and fired a large beam of slightly morphed space at the oncoming spell. The beam moved very slowly, but when the two spells collided, the energy blast became slower. With every second that passed, the energy blast's speed decreased.

Haley whistled, "Wow that's some spell."

Kai watched how the dog mamodo's spell continued to slow down. "I see. Your spell must somehow steal the kinetic energy of whatever it touches. Interesting."

Uuda grinned, "That's just the beginning of it! Let's use the second spell, Marly!"

Marly nodded, "Ugawu!"

His partner raised her hands toward the slow moving spell in front of her. With a flick of her wrists, the energy of the dog mamodo's spell was sent back to Ace and its partner.

"Dataru!"

Ace released another energy blast to counteract the one about to hit them. After the smoke cleared from when the two spells hit, the dog mamodo took off into a run heading for the group.

"Daranes!"

Hazel eyes widened when she saw the Rottweiler's teeth become larger and sharper. "Uh oh that's not good. Kazedron!"

Kai lifted his hand and fired a wind blast at Ace. The dog mamodo easily dodged the blast and attempted to bite the wind mamodo.

Jet got in between them however. When Ace moved to bite him, he shouted, "Heihachi!"

"Mekagi!"

Right before the dog mamodo could make contact, the blue haired child opened his mouth revealing a small cannon in place of his tongue which fired a large cannonball at the Rottweiler.

Ace let out a weak growl as it got hit straight in the chest. Due to the spell's power, the dog mamodo was sent flying back over to where its owner stood.

Kai smirked, "Not bad, kid."

Jet gave him a thumbs-up. "Thanks!"

The brown haired teen frowned, "It seems we'll have to use a stronger spell. Gran Durano!"

Ace howled as its body gave off a dark aura. Before anyone could react, the Rottweiler was in front of them aiming to strike.

"Dataru!"

Everyone had to jump out of the way to avoid the dark blast of energy. In a blink of an eye, Ace was in front of Jet. Before the blue haired child could dodge, the dog mamdo sunk its teeth into the other mamodo's arm and threw him to the side.

Heihachi's eyes widened. "Jet!" He quickly ran over to his partner and picked him up. "Are you alright?"

Jet winced when he moved his right arm. "Y-yeah I'm okay."

Haley narrowed her eyes at Ace when it turned to look at her. "You'll pay for that! Chisokumera!"

Kai's body emitted a silver glow before he vanished. When he reappeared, the wind mamodo was in front of the Rottweiler. He attempted to kick the dog mamodo, but it dodged.

"Daranes!"

Ace opened its mouth and tried to sink its teeth into Kai, but the taller mamodo avoided the attack. This process continued with Ace attempting to bite the other while Kai tried to land a hit on the shorter mamodo.

Marly tugged on Haley's hand to get her attention. When she looked at him, the blonde spoke. "Haley-san, I have a plan. But we'll need both Kai-san's and Jet's help to do it."

Jet looked up when he heard his name. "What do you need me to do?"

Marly gathered the group together and explained his plan. When he finished, Uuda grinned, "Just leave it to me! Once I use my spell, you guys can finish that dumb dog off."

Haley smirked, "Sounds good to me."

Heihachi sighed, "I really don't like fighting, but if it's to help, then I guess it's okay. I'm in."

Kai jumped back just in time to avoid getting scratched by the dog mamodo's long claws. He lifted his leg and kneed Ace in the jaw. "Ha! Serves you right, you dumb mutt!"

The black haired teen raised an eyebrow when he saw Haley signaling him. _"What the hell is she planning now?"_ When he saw Jet raise his arms toward Ace, Kai realized what his partner was trying to tell him. He sighed, _"Why couldn't she have just said 'Move'?"_

Once he saw Kai was out of range, Heihachi shouted, "Dio Mekanse!"

The fingers of Jet's raised hands turned into mini-missiles that quickly flew toward Ace. The dog mamodo attempted to dodge the missiles but no matter where it went the spell would follow him.

"Dataru!"

Ace released another blast of dark energy, but the attack only managed to take out half of the missiles. Before the Rottweiler could move, the rest of the missiles surrounded it and hit their target.

When the smoke cleared, Uuda could be seen standing near the fallen dog mamodo. Her arms were raised with open palms facing the large mamodo. "Now, Marly!"

"Uzuruku!"

A blue ball of energy shot from the black haired girl's hands and hit Ace head on. She grinned, "Mission accomplished!"

Brown eyes widened as he watched his partner attempt to get up. For some reason, the dog mamodo was moving incredibly slow. "W-what's going on?"

Marly shifted his gaze to look at Ace's book owner. "Uzuruku has the power to decrease the speed of whatever it hits." _"Though it only lasts for five seconds."_

The brown haired teen took a step back in surprise when Kai appeared in front of him. "W-what?"

Haley grinned, "This battle's over! Kazedron!"

Kai smirked as he released a large blast of wind at the unguarded spell book in the other's hand. The brown-eyed teen dropped the burning book and quickly ran away from the wind mamodo.

Heihachi smiled as he lifted his hands into the air in celebration. "Alright! We did it!"

"Dures Vatu!"

Blue eyes widened in horror as a purple sludge hit the red book in his raised hand. "No!" Jet watched wide-eyed as his spell book began to burn. "H-how?"

Heihachi tried to put the fire out, but it was no use. Instead, he only burned his hands. Jet grabbed his partner hands. "Stop, Heihachi! It's too late! You're only gonna hurt yourself!"

Tears streamed down the orange haired teen's face as he lifted his gaze to meet Jet's. "I-I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect the book."

Jet shook his head as tears ran down his cheeks. "It's not your fault, Heihachi. You've always done your best to protect my book. Despite how much you hate fighting, you still agreed to help me in the battle. I can't thank you enough for that."

Heihachi attempted to wipe the tears from his eyes but stopped when he realized it was in vain. He pulled the blue haired child into an embrace. "If it wasn't for you, I would still be how I was after I found out my dad died. When he died, I thought I was all alone, so I would lock myself in the garage and tinker with all of my inventions. But you reminded me that I still had my mom and that I had you. I can't thank you enough for that."

Jet smiled, "I really wanted to stay in the human world longer, so I could help you with your dream, Heihachi. I was looking forward to riding in your airplane."

The orange haired teen chuckled weakly. "Me too. I enjoyed having you help me with building it. Once my dad died, I thought I would be stuck building it by myself."

The fading mamodo hugged his partner tighter. "Don't give up on your dream, Heihachi. One day you will fly the skies in your very own plane. I know it, so don't give up."

Heihachi nodded, "I won't. I'll build it. Hey who knows? Maybe someday I'll find a way to fly to the mamodo world."

Jet pulled back from the hug enough to grin at his friend. "I'd like that."

Haley and the others ran over to the group. "Heihachi! Jet!"

Sapphire eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

Heihachi shook his head. "I-I don't know. I think there's another mamodo here. I can't think of any other explanation."

Jet pulled away from his partner and smiled at the others. "Thanks for being so nice to me, Kai. I had fun playing with you today." He looked at the others. "I had fun with all of you!"

A teary-eyed Uuda hugged the blue haired child. "We'll miss you."

The blue-eyed mamodo tried to wipe away his tears but failed. "I-I'll miss you guys too! I hope you and Kai will able to play with me again back in the mamodo world."

Kai placed a hand on Jet's head. "Anytime, kid."

The blue haired mamodo turned to look at his partner. "Thanks for everything, Heihachi. I'll never forget you!"

Heihachi gave the child a watery smile. "Same here, partner. You better take care of yourself, Jet."

"I will!"

Jet gave the group a large grin before he completely faded away. For awhile, everyone remained silent as they thought of their friend.

Haley clenched her fists as she looked down at the ground. "How could this have happened?" She scanned her surroundings. "We know you're out there, bastard! We won't forgive you for this! You better come out right now!"

Everyone stiffened when they heard a dark chuckle coming from behind one of the trees nearby. Before anyone could react, a grey sphere was thrown at them and exploded into a large smokescreen.

Haley coughed as she clutched the silver book tightly. "Guys!"

"Haley, read the spell!"

The redhead opened the silver book and shouted, "Kazedron!"

Kai fired a large blast of wind from his hand that quickly blew away the smoke surrounding them. Hazel eyes widened when she saw Uuda lying on the ground with Marly kneeling beside her clutching his arm. She quickly found Heihachi who was standing not far from her with no apparent injuries.

Haley ran over to the children. "Uuda! Marly! Are you alright?"

Marly looked up at her and shook his head. "Uuda's unconscious, Ma'am. I found this in her neck." He showed her a small syringe. "I think it was filled with some sort of anesthetic." The blonde then pointed to another syringe that was lying on the ground. "That one hit me in the arm. I pulled it out as soon as I could, but I think it still managed to get into my system."

"You're quite smart for someone your age."

Everyone looked up to see two figures walking towards them from the shadows. The shorter of the two was the green haired teen that had looked through the file with Haley and Kai's picture on it.

The other was a very skinny man who stood at about 6'1 and who appeared to be around 30 years old. He had scraggly unclean-looking black hair and grey eyes. The man was wearing a black t-shirt, dark brown pants, and black dress shoes. Like his partner, the black haired stranger wore a white doctor's coat.

Haley moved in front of Marly and the unconscious Uuda. "What the hell do you want?"

The green haired teen grinned, "My how rude. Oh well I guess this should be expected considering what all you've been through today. My name's Necro and this is my partner Vlad."

Vlad bowed, "Dr. Vlad Risco at your service. It's a pleasure to meet you, Haley Storm-san."

Kai scowled as he walked in front of his partner. "I don't think you understood my partner's question. What the hell do you guys want with us?"

Necro continued to grin. "Oh nothing much. I simply wish for you and your partner to accompany us to my lab that's all."

Haley glared at the other mamodo. "Like hell, we'll go anywhere with you! You burned Jet's book! And you attacked Marly and Uuda! There's no way we're gonna let you get away with that!"

Marly's eyes widened slightly when the redhead picked him up. "Haley-san?"

She didn't answer the blonde until after she grabbed Uuda. "Don't worry, Marly. Everything's gonna be alright." The older girl handed the two kids over to a surprised Heihachi who had walked over to the group. "Heihachi, I need you to take these two to safety."

Heihachi gave her a shocked look. "What? What about you two? I can't just leave you here to fight by yourselves!"

Haley smiled, "We'll be fine."

Marly tried to free himself from Heihachi's hold. "It's still not a good idea, Ma'am. It's too dangerous. I know Uuda and I may not be any help at the current time, but you and your mamodo should attempt to escape as well."

The redhead shook her head. "Sorry, Marly. That'll just put you guys at risk. I have a feeling no matter where we go that bastard is just gonna follow us. So please understand."

After a few seconds, Marly nodded reluctantly. "Yes ma'am." Not long after he spoke those words, grey eyes began to slowly close as the anesthesia took over. Seconds later, Marly was unconscious like his partner.

Heihachi wore a determined expression. "I'll do it, but as soon as these two are safe, I'm coming back. I'll bring that brother of yours as well. Didn't you tell us earlier he had a mamodo?"

Haley grinned, "Yeah. I'll hold you to it, Heihachi. So while we distract him, you make a run for it, got it?"

Necro chuckled, "There's no need for a distraction, Haley-san. We have no need for those three. That's the reason why I burned the blue haired child's book and incapacitated those children. They do not interest me like you and your partner do."

Haley scowled, "You bastard! You can't just do as you please! Chisokumera!" When she saw Kai charge forward, the girl looked back at the others. "Now, Heihachi!"

Heihachi simply nodded before he took off running in the direction of Haley's apartment. "You better be careful, Haley!"

She smirked, "Aren't I always?"

Kai aimed a punch at the shorter mamodo, but Necro managed to jump back just time to avoid the attack. The green haired teen sighed, "I don't have time for this."

Necro pulled out several small yellow spheres and threw them at the black haired mamodo. Sapphire eyes widened when he saw the yellow spheres release a yellow gas after he dodged them.

The gas spread so quickly that the wind mamodo was unable to move away from it fast enough. Kai only breathed in a little of it, but that was enough to bring him to his knees. "Wha?"

Necro grinned, "A paralysis drug. Sorry but you're not going to be able to move for awhile now. This is why I wanted you to come peacefully. Oh well."

Haley ran over to her partner. "Kai!" Before she could reach her partner however, the redhead was stopped by Vlad. "Get out of my way, you bastard!" She tried to punch him, but the taller man easily caught her fist.

Vlad smiled, "Sorry, but I can't do that. We have plans for you and your mamodo." He pulled out a syringe filled with a weird blue liquid. "Don't worry, this shouldn't hurt much."

Hazel eyes widened as she began to thrash. She tried to kick the syringe out of the black haired man's hand, but Necro appeared and grabbed her foot. He wagged his finger. "Now, now no need for violence. We're simply scientists. If you behave yourself, we might not have to hurt you."

Haley scowled as she tried to free her capture hand and fist. "Screw that! Let me go, you bastards!"

While she was distracted by Necro, Vlad quickly injected the blue liquid into her arms. She grew wide-eyed as she stared at the two in shock. Then suddenly her eyes began to droop. "Huh? W-what's going on?"

Necro smiled, "Don't worry, we simply used the same anesthesia on you like we did on those children. You'll be asleep for a good couple of hours."

Haley sunk to the ground after her foot and hand were released. She glared at the two. "Y-you bastards."

The redhead tried to stand but couldn't make herself move. Her eyelids grew heavier as she tried to fight off the anesthesia. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, hazel eyes closed and Haley collapsed to the ground.

Necro wore a sinister grin. "Team 3 captured. Now the real fun can begin."

* * *

**I mentioned it before but now that I've properly introduced them I'll say it again: Marly and Uuda are the awesome creations of stevethemime. I hope I did your characters justice and hopefully I didn't mess up their battle style. If I did, I promise I'll do better next time : )**

**And Kai's new outift was the amazing idea of Munchlax Jr. Thanks again! X D**

**Mwuhaha yes it's another cliffhanger! I simply cannot resist! lol And if you guys are wondering if Necro has kidnapped other teams other than Haley and Kai, then you are correct! Feel free to guess who you think it is. *Hint: The other two teams are not my OCs* ^-^**

**Now I know that you have to push down on a syringe to inject its contents into somebody but let's just say these are specially made for combat. Also Uuda passed out first because she was the first to get hit. Marly was hit just before the smokescreen was lifted which is why he was still awake. I tried to make it so that Marly and Haley both stayed awake the same amount of time before they passed out. I hope I didn't make Haley pass out too quickly.**

**And if you're wondering about the brown haired teen and his mamodo and what role they play in this. Just wait it'll be explained in the next chapter ; )**

**I hope you guys liked the chapter! I look forward to your reviews! X )**


	22. The Captives Meet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell.**

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was a little later than the others though only by a few hours! I was kinda busy Saturday with the senior party I went to so I only worked on this Friday afternoon before starting on it Sunday. I'm so glad you enjoyed my last chapter!**

**Stevethemime: I was very happy when I read your review I was worried about doing a good job with your OCs. Thank you for helping me get 100 reviews! I was so excited! : )**

**thatguy331: Yes 101 is just as important as 100. I appreciate your reviews! ; )**

**Eagle Eye Assassin: Thank you for the awesome OCs! I look forward to using them X ) And thanks for the cool nickname though I still haven't figured out what it means lol**

**Here's chapter 22 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**

* * *

Once Haley passed out, Vlad picked the redhead and her still paralyzed partner up after injecting him with a knockout drug like with her. Unknown to the two scientists, there was another figure hiding in the shadows of a nearby tree.

Due to the darkness, it was hard to distinguish the figure's features except that the figure was male and probably around the same age as Necro. The teen had long, straight black hair and dark brown eyes. On his left side, the mysterious stranger carried a Tachi that had a white handle with a crimson tassel.

Brown eyes studied the group below the tree branch where he was standing. _"Necro has made his move. I foresaw this when I gave him my information. Now it's time to see if he'll put it to good use."_

Once Necro and his partner left the area with Haley and Kai in tow, the shadow-clad figure moved more into the light revealing his handsome features. He was wearing a black kimono, a white sleeveless jacket, a crimson belt, and a white scarf decorated with crimson clouds.

The black haired teen stood still for a few minutes before he began jumping from tree to tree in the direction the two scientists went. His pace was slow and steady so as to make sure his presence wouldn't be noticed.

_"Now it's time to see how these pawns will advance on the chessboard we call the battle to become king."

* * *

_

Haley slowly opened her eyes and winced because of the bright light. Once her eyes were finally able to adjust to the brightness, the redhead tried to gather her bearings.

The first thing she realized was she could barely move. Haley looked down and saw that she was lying on a white medical table. She also noticed that her hands and legs were cuffed to the table limiting her movement.

Hazel eyes widened. _"Aw man, please don't tell me this means what I think it means."_ She attempted to wiggle her wrists out of the cuffs but with no luck. The girl sighed, _"Now I know how those frogs we dissected in junior high felt. At least, they were already dead."_

Realizing there was no point in trying to break the metal cuffs, Haley decided to see where she was. She scanned her surroundings and discovered she was in some kind of medical lab. The room was white and the walls were covered with shelves filled with all kinds of equipment that she couldn't recognize.

The girl stopped checking out the room when her eyes landed on another white table like her own. The table wasn't what caught her attention though. It was the unconscious person she saw lying on top of it that made her eyes widen in surprise.

On the table, there laid a teenage boy who appeared to be about two or three years younger than herself. He had brown hair and was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a red stripe in the middle, jeans, and white shoes.

Like her, it seemed the brown haired teen was cuffed to the table he was lying on. There were a few scratches on him, but otherwise he looked alright.

Hazel eyes narrowed. _"It looks like we weren't the only ones that bastard was after. I wonder if he kidnapped anyone else."_

She shifted her gaze to her left and quickly noticed another unconscious boy on a nearby table. This boy was even younger than the other looking to be around 13. He had black hair and very tan skin. The teen was wearing a black t-shirt, green pants, a red jacket, a white scarf, and a yellow hat.

Haley scowled. _"You've got to be kidding me! He actually kidnapped a kid! I'm so gonna kick that bastard's ass the next time I get the chance!"_

Once she realized there was no one else in the room beside her and the two unconscious boys, the redhead decided to try to wake them.

She moved her gaze back to the older of the two boys and called out to him. "Hey! Can you hear me? Wake up!"

After a few more tries, both boys began to stir. The brown haired teen slowly opened his eyes revealing matching brown orbs. His eyes widened when he couldn't move. "W-what the hell?"

The other boy was having a similar reaction. He struggled against his bindings. When he realized he was stuck, blue eyes grew large. "W-what's going on?"

Haley cleared her throat gaining the two boys' attention. "I can't really explain everything, but the one thing I do know is that we've been kidnapped by that bastard Necro and his partner. And I have a feeling whatever they have planned is not gonna be good for us."

Both boys stared at her in shock. The younger teen was the first to speak. "But why us?"

The redhead shrugged, "No clue. There are plenty of humans out there with mamodo partners. Beats me why he'd choose us three."

The brown haired teen sighed, "This shouldn't surprise me. Jyan always seems to get me into trouble."

The other boy shook his head. "I'm gonna get an earful from Dinemo when I see him. He's definitely gonna be pissed once he finds out what happened."

Haley chuckled, "Sounds like you two have good relationships with your mamodo. Knowing Kai, I wouldn't be surprised if he just sleeps through all of this."

The older boy raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully calm about all this." When she turned to look at him, his brown eyes gained a knowing look. "Oh I see. You're just as worried as we are, but you'd rather not show it."

The older girl blinked. _"Do I really look that worried?"_

"Not really. I'm just able to tell what people are feeling by looking into their eyes."

Hazel eyes widened as she stared at the brown-eyed teen. _"What the hell? Is he serious? And did he just read my mind?"_

The brown haired teen nodded, "I did. I can read minds as well though I'm not always one hundred percent accurate."

The other boy smiled, "Wow that's so cool!"

Haley sweatdropped. _"More like freaky." _She frowned when she saw the older boy look away from her. _"Damn did I just think that?" _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You just caught me by surprise that's all. Privacy is very sacred to girls, but that doesn't give me the right to say- I mean- think stuff like that. I think your power is really cool. I bet it comes in real handy during your battles."

The brown-eyed teen raised his gaze to look at the smiling girl. Once he realized she was being sincere, a small smile formed on his face. "It's alright. I've heard worse."

Haley grinned, "So what are your names? My name's Haley Storm, but you can call me Haley."

The black haired teen smiled, "My name's Lee Ariex. It's nice to meet you, Haley-san."

She winked, "Nice to meet you too, Lee. Don't worry about all that –san stuff though. Haley's just fine."

The other boy wore a small smile. "Josh Luther. It's a pleasure though I would've liked to meet under better circumstances."

"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way, Josh-san."

The three teens quickly turned toward the room's only door and froze. Necro grinned at them as he slowly made his way over to his captives. "I would've thought you'd enjoy making new friends. Oh well you can't make everyone happy."

Haley scowled, "Can it, bastard! Let us out of these shackles so I can kick your ass!"

The green haired scientist wagged his finger. "Now, now, Haley-san, that's not very nice. I'd rather have you like that. Otherwise, it'll be hard for me to try any of the experiments I have planned for you."

Josh frowned, "Why are you doing this?"

Lee nodded nervously. "Yeah what do you want with us?"

Necro smiled, "Don't take it personally. I have nothing against you three or your mamodo. You were simply the best candidates for my experiments."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

The amber-eyed mamodo's smile grew. "It's very simple. For my experiments, I require specimens that I can have plenty of time working with. If, for example, I kidnapped that friend of yours, Derrick Runners, and his partner, Alice Silvers, that wouldn't do. Do you wish to know why?"

Hazel eyes widened. _"He knows about Derrick and Alice!"_ "Why?"

Necro moved closer to the girl's table. "It's simple. He would be missed. He's the star player of the football team at your school, correct? Well if I did happen to kidnap him, it wouldn't be long before someone finally noticed and start to question his disappearance."

Haley paled. _"H-he can't mean-"_ While she was realizing the mamodo's intentions, the other two boys were staring at the scientist in confusion.

It wasn't until Josh made eye contact with Haley that he realized what Necro was planning. Brown eyes widened in fear. "You kidnapped us because you think no one will miss us."

Lee stared at the older teens and the scientist in shock. "W-what? That's not true! Of course somebody will notice we're gone!"

Necro shook his head in a condescending manner. "You can't fool me, Lee-kun. I know all about your family situation. You live all by yourself in Tokyo with only your mamodo as company. Your father abandoned you at a young age and your mother moved away. She's currently wiring you money to live off of every month, correct?"

Blue eyes grew large. "But that doesn't mean she wouldn't notice me being gone! I'm sure my sister would too! She always comes over for surprise visits!"

The green haired mamodo pulled off his glasses and began cleaning them with a small piece of cloth from his coat pocket. "That may be, but I happen to know that her last visit wasn't very long ago. So by the time she does return, it'll be too late for you."

Josh gave the bespectacled teen an incredulous look. "You can't be serious."

Necro smirked, "Oh but I am. You and your partner were my first choice, Josh-san. After all, your parents and sister shouldn't notice your absence considering they're so busy with their own lives. They won't even realize you're gone."

The brown haired teen frowned but opted to say nothing and instead just looked away.

Haley gave both boys sympathetic looks when she noticed their sad expressions. She scowled at the scientist. "You bastard! Don't think you're gonna get away with this! My brother and my friends will figure out what happened and find us!"

Necro put his glasses back on and focused on the older girl. "Oh yes, your brother I almost forgot. Oh well, it won't matter. There's no way they'll discover our location. Besides, do you think your friends will really look for you? After all, they're also competitors in this battle. This way there's less competition for them."

He grinned when the redhead grew silent. "Don't think I don't have any information on you, Haley-san. I know all about how you had to move a lot growing up because of your parents' jobs. You were always alone especially after your brother was sent to boarding school. If it wasn't for your mamodo, you'd still be alone. You're in the same position as these other two. Your parents won't even know you're gone until it's too late, and your brother will never find you."

Josh and Lee turned to look at Haley curious to see her reaction. Both were surprised when she started laughing.

Necro's grin faded and was replaced with a frown. "And what may I ask is so funny, Haley-san?"

The redhead took a deep breath to calm herself down. Once her laughter subsided, she smiled, "You're what's so funny. Wow you must be really stupid if you think I'm gonna fall for that. If you think you're gonna weaken my resolve by making me pity myself, you've got another thing coming. This isn't the first time I've heard something like that, so you better come up with another strategy if you wanna beat me."

The green haired mamodo's frown deepened as he reached inside one of his coat pockets and pulled out a scalpel. Her smile fell as hazel eyes focused solely on the scalpel slowly inching towards her.

Lee's eyes widened. "Hey, get away from her!"

Josh struggled against the cuffs around his wrists. When he realized it was no use, the brown haired teen shifted his gaze back to looking at Haley and their captor. "If you lose your temper now, then all this work you've put into capturing us will be all for nothing."

Necro smirked catching all three of the humans off guard. "Don't worry, Josh-san. I'm not angry. I simply wish to teach Haley-san a lesson. She needs to learn how to control that mouth of hers."

Before Haley could react, a thin scrape appeared on her left cheek. When she looked up, Necro was already pulling the scalpel back. Hazel eyes grew large. _"S-since when? I didn't even see him move his hand!"_

The scientist walked over to a nearby tray and picked up a rag to wipe off the sliver of blood on the scalpel. When he was finished, Necro turned to face the three humans. "Now where to begin." He grabbed his chin as he stared at them with a calculative eye.

Amber eyes brightened. "Ah I know! It's been awhile since I did any field experiments. How does that sound to you three?"

The book owners looked at him suspiciously. Lee was the first to respond. "What do you mean by field experiments?"

Necro crossed his arms. "It's simple. I shall release you three into the woods and study how you react to all the different tests I have planned. Do not worry, I haven't burned any of your books yet. In fact, I'll return your books to you before the tests begin."

Hazel eyes narrowed. "Why do I think there's a catch to this? And besides, why the hell would we participate in your stupid tests? If you let us go, we could just run away or try to attack you."

The green haired scientist grinned, "But you wouldn't do that. I have traps and security cameras set up in all parts of the woods making it impossible to escape. And because of the cameras, there will be no need for me to be around when you participate in my tests so that rules out your plan of attacking me."

Josh attempted to read the mamodo's mind but failed due to the gleam on the scientist's glasses._ "Damn. I bet he already planned for this. I can't tell what he's thinking if I can't see his eyes." _"So basically you're saying we have no choice in the matter."

Necro's grin grew. "You're correct, Josh-san. You're quite smart. I look forward to seeing how smart in my tests."

Haley scowled, "So if we pass these so-called tests you'll let us go? Or is there another catch?"

The amber-eyed mamodo chuckled, "I can't say that I'll simply let you go, but I might consider it if I get what I want from my tests. Don't misunderstand. I'm not asking for your permission. I was just curious about your opinion on the matter. You have no choice unless you would rather I simply burn your books."

The three humans shared a glance and nodded reluctantly. The redhead frowned, "Fine but don't think we'll just do as you please. We're not gonna go down without a fight."

Necro smirked, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Haley-san." The scientist walked over to a large metal cabinet and opened it. The book owners watched warily as he pulled out what looked like an oxygen tank attached to a mask.

Lee stared at the mamodo as he got closer to the younger teen. "What are you gonna do?"

The green haired scientist grinned, "Don't worry, it's just more anesthesia to knock you out. I'm not stupid enough to release you without making sure you're incapacitated. If I use this, you won't stay unconscious as long as you would with my special anesthetic drug I used on you earlier. Now hold still."

Lee tried to move away from the mask but due to the cuffs his movement was limited. He struggled as the mask was put over his mouth. Despite his struggles, the black haired teen was out in a matter of minutes.

Josh frowned, "Is this really necessary? You already have our books. It's not like we'd do anything to put them or our mamodo in danger."

Necro made his way over to the brown-eyed teen. "That may be true, but it never hurts to be cautious especially with you three. I know all about your personalities. I won't underestimate your abilities."

The brown haired teen rolled his eyes. "Well I feel special." He flinched when he felt the mask cover his mouth. Like Lee, Josh quickly passed out.

Haley scowled, "You bastard. As soon as I get the chance, I'm so gonna kick your ass! You won't get away with this!"

Necro smirked, "Oh but I already have." Before she could retort, the mask was placed over her mouth.

Hazel eyes glared hatefully at the mamodo before they too closed like the others. After checking to make sure the humans were completely out cold, the scientist made his way toward the door.

"Now let's see how my fellow mamodo are doing."

* * *

Two loud voices were what caused Kai to wake from his slumber. The wind mamodo tried to ignore the noise and go back to sleep but found he couldn't.

Kai groaned when his eyes took in the brightness of the room. He blinked wearily. _"W-what happened?" _After a few seconds, the memories of the following night hit him like a ton of bricks.

Sapphire eyes widened. _"Haley!" _The black haired mamodo tried to move but found he couldn't. When he looked down, Kai discovered his arms were cuffed to the medical table he was laying on much like Haley and the other book owners.

"Hey he's awake!"

The wind mamodo looked up and moved his gaze to the side realizing he was not alone. On another table to his right, he saw another mamodo around 8 years old staring at him. The boy had black messy hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt with orange tips on its sleeves and a line going down it, blue shorts, and brown shoes.

"About time he woke up, thought he'd sleep forever."

Sapphire eyes shifted to his left and noticed another mamodo boy about two years older than the first laying on another table. The scowling boy had red hair and green eyes. He was wearing a purple shirt, red pants, and sandals.

Kai sighed, "So I guess Haley and I weren't that bastard's only targets."

The black haired boy nodded, "Yeah the more lab rats the better I guess."

The red haired boy scowled, "Enough with the jokes! We have to get out of here!"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "And how do you suppose we do that? Whatever these cuffs are made of is strong enough to hold down a mamodo. Unless, you have a plan."

When his question was met with silence, the older mamodo sighed again. "This is just great. I should've just stayed home today."

The brown-eyed mamodo frowned, "I doubt that would've made a difference. No matter where you were, the stupid authoress would've come up with a way to make sure you were kidnapped."

When he saw the other two mamodos' incredulous looks, the younger boy cursed. "Damn. I did it again didn't I?"

The red haired boy shook his head. "I don't even wanna know. So who are you guys? Might as well get to know my fellow captives. Name's Dinemo."

Kai chuckled, "My name's Kai. It's a pleasure."

The other boy grinned at Kai's sarcasm. "I'm Jyan! Prankster extraordinaire!"

"It looks like you three are getting along well just like your book owners. I'm glad."

The three mamodo stiffened before shifting their gazes toward the door where a grinning Necro stood. As soon as they caught sight of the scientist, the three captives' expressions changed.

Necro chuckled when he saw their heated glares. "My, my, such fierce expressions. If only looks could kill."

Dinemo scowled as he struggled against his bindings. "You bastard! What did you do with Lee? If you touched him, I swear I'll-!"

The green haired mamodo cocked his head to the side. "You'll what, Dinemo? I'm sure you've already noticed you're not in any position to make threats."

Dinemo snarled, "You bastard! You won't get away with this!"

Necro smirked, "Funny, I just heard the same thing from Haley-san not too long ago."

Kai froze at the sound of his partner's name. Sapphire eyes darkened. "Where's Haley? She better not be injured."

A chill went down the two boys' spines after hearing the menacing tone in the older mamodo's voice. Necro, however, appeared unaffected. "Like I already told Dinemo, you're in no position to be making threats."

The amber-eyed scientist moved closer to the older teen. "Don't worry, I didn't hurt your partner too much. I just needed to show her a little discipline."

Kai's glare intensified ten-fold when Necro brought out the rag he used to wipe the blood from the scalpel he scratched Haley with earlier. "She barely felt a thing. I think she was more shocked about how I caught her off guard."

Surprising all the mamodo there, the usually calm Kai actually lunged at Necro. The bespectacled teen took a step back in surprise not expecting the older mamodo's sudden movement.

The black haired teen's cuffs creaked but still managed to keep Kai bolted down. The furious mamodo glared at the younger teen. "Bastard! You're dead!"

Necro chuckled once he regained his composure. "Now, now, Kai. You shouldn't talk like that especially since I have not only your lives but the lives of your book owners in my hands."

Kai's expression calmed slightly, but he continued to glare at the other mamodo. Jyan tore his gaze from the angry teen to look at their captor. "So what do you want with us? Are you so pathetic that you had to kidnap us just so you could have someone to play with you?"

Necro frowned at the boy's sarcasm while Dinemo laughed, "Nice, kid!"

The brown-eyed mamodo grinned, "Thanks." His grin quickly fell. "Hey, don't call me kid! I'm not that much younger than you!"

Kai couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips from listening to the boys. Dinemo smirked, "Looks like you're feeling better. Good because there's only room for one hothead here and that position's already been taken."

The frown on Necro's face grew while the other mamodo continued to ignore him. Having enough of their nonsense, he quickly pulled out a scalpel from his pocket and threw it at the closest mamodo.

Jyan froze when a scalpel sunk into the metal of the table only a few inches from his face. Brown eyes looked up to see Necro staring coldly at him. Once he calmed down, the black haired boy smirked, "Aw is somebody feeling left out? You poor bas-"

The brown-eyed mamodo was cut off by another scalpel which left a thin scrape on his left arm. When he returned his gaze to the scientist, Jyan noticed there were more scalpels in the older mamodo's hands.

Necro's face remained blank. "I'd recommend you watch that mouth of yours, Jyan. Unless of course, you want me to surgically remove it."

Dinemo scowled, "Hey leave the kid alone! If you want a fight, then I'll give you one!"

The green haired teen sighed as he placed his remaining scalpels back into his coat pocket. "I have no interest in fighting any of you, Dinemo. I simply wish to study you. I've already discussed my plans with your book owners, so I have no intention of explaining them again to you. They'll just have to fill you in when you see them."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "You're gonna let us see our partners? What's the catch?"

Necro grinned, "I'll explain before the tests begin. Until then, I think I'll just leave you in the dark. Your book owners were much easier to deal with than you three."

Jyan frowned, "Josh better be alright, or I'm coming after you, bastard."

The amber-eyed scientist pushed his glasses upwards causing a gleam to reflect off the lens. "I'd expect nothing less, Jyan. Don't worry, I didn't touch your partner besides knocking him and the other two out with an anesthetic. After all, I don't want them to give me trouble before the tests even begin."

Dinemo glared at the older mamodo. "You are so going down, bastard! I'm looking forward to knocking that smug look off your face!"

Necro pulled out a syringe from his pocket. "Yes, yes I know. I've heard this a dozen times already. Don't think you're my first victims."

Brown eyes widened. "You've done this to other people?"

The scientist smirked as he walked over to the youngest mamodo. "Of course. Not long after I met my partner, Vlad and I began searching for good specimens. Unfortunately, the first three mamodo we captured weren't very interesting. They were quite weak actually, so I learned nothing from experimenting on them. This time, however, I believe will be different."

Jyan tried to ignore the syringe and instead focused on the bespectacled teen. He snorted, "I feel so special."

Necro grinned, "Funny, that's exactly what your partner said. Simple minds think alike I guess." Before the black haired boy retort, the scientist sunk his syringe into the younger mamodo's arm. "Unlike for your book owners, I have to use my own anesthetic drug for you since it's more effective on mamodo."

Jyan glared weakly at the other before his eyes closed from the drug's effects. Dinemo growled, "You bastard! Don't think it'll go as smoothly with me!"

The green haired mamodo shook his head as he walked over to the red haired mamodo while refilling the syringe. "Unless you want me to burn your book, I recommend you stay still."

Green eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

Necro wore a sinister smirk. "Oh but I would. It's your choice, so which would you prefer?"

Dinemo scowled at the scientist for a few seconds before finally turning away. "Fine, just do it already."

After injecting the red haired mamodo with the drug, the bespectacled mamodo turned his attention to Kai. "Ah just like last time. Haley-san was the last human to fall unconscious. What a coincidence."

Sapphire eyes glared heatedly at the scientist. "You'll pay for this."

Necro's smirk grew. "I look forward to seeing you try, Kai." Like with Jyan, he sunk the needle into the older mamodo's skin before Kai could react.

After that was finished, the amber-eyed mamodo placed the syringe back into his pocket. He pulled out a cell phone and called the only number in his contact list. "Vlad? Yes everything's ready. All I need is for you to deal with the humans. I'll take care of the mamodo."

Once he heard his parnter's reply, Necro quickly hung up. After he put the cell back into his pocket, the scientist walked over to a nearby shelf and picked up a remote with a single blue button on it.

As soon as he pushed the button, the mamodos' cuffs disappeared. Necro grinned, "Yes, I really look forward to seeing how you and the others perform, Kai. Please don't disappoint me."

* * *

Josh groaned when he felt something kick his side. After another kick, brown eyes slowly opened to see Dinemo glaring at him. "What?"

The red haired mamodo crossed his arms. "About time you woke up. Don't bother asking me where we are because I have no idea."

Josh pinched his forehead as he moved into a sitting position. He looked around noticing that he and the mamodo were in the middle of a large forest, and there wasn't another soul in sight. "I guess these are the woods Necro was talking about."

Dinemo frowned, "Yeah that bastard didn't fill us in on what's going on, so you're gonna have to explain it to me. You're Jyan's partner, Josh, right? I'm Dinemo."

The brown haired blinked before slowly nodding. "Yeah so you must be Lee's mamodo. It's a pleasure."

Dinemo rolled his eyes at the other's sarcasm. "So you've met my partner? He better not have been crying or doing anything wimpy like that when he was with you."

Josh shook his head. "He didn't. Considering our circumstances, I'd say he handled himself pretty well."

The green-eyed mamodo grinned, "Good or I'd have to kick his ass for looking weak."

After looking at the other's eyes, the older teen could tell the mamodo was actually pretty worried about his partner but decided against mentioning it. "I can't tell you much besides Necro saying he wanted to study how we react to the tests he has set up for us out here."

Dinemo scowled, "Just great. Even when that guy isn't here, he pisses me off."

Josh rose to his feet. He noticed Jyan's blue book lying nearby and quickly picked it up. _"I guess he was telling the truth about returning our books to us." _"Do you know where the others are? Or were we separated?"

The red haired mamodo rolled his eyes. "If I knew where they were, do you think I'd still be here? I have no damn clue where Lee or any of the others are."

Josh sighed, "This situation just keeps getting worse."

* * *

Elsewhere, Kai and Lee were walking together in silence. After they woke up (Kai taking much longer than Lee), the two decided they'd start looking for the others once they realized they were in the same situation. Like Josh, Lee had found Dinemo's emerald book nearby and had put it inside his jacket.

Lee, not used to being around such a calm mamodo, tried to come up with something to talk about. "So you're Haley's mamodo, right?"

Kai gave the other a quick glance before returning his gaze to the path ahead. "Yeah, and you must be Dinemo's partner. He was making a lot of commotion about you."

The blue-eyed book owner wore a surprised expression. "Really? Are you sure we're talking about the same Dinemo?"

Kai chuckled, "Yeah he does give off that tough guy vibe, but I can tell he was worried about you just don't tell him I said that."

Lee smiled, "Sure thing."

Hazel eyes slowly opened as Haley breathed in the crisp outdoor air. _"Guess that bastard was telling the truth about releasing us into the woods. Even in my head, it still sounds messed up." _The redhead moved into a sitting position and scanned her surroundings.

She froze when her eyes caught sight of a black haired boy lying nearby. The girl quickly rose to her feet and ran over to the child. After a few seconds of shaking, he began to stir.

Haley released a sigh of relief. "Hey, are you alright?"

Jyan opened his eyes and slowly sat up. "Yeah. Who are you?"

The redhead smiled, "I'm Haley. What's your name?"

Brown eyes brightened. "You must be Kai's partner! I'm Jyan!"

Haley's smile grew. "You know Kai? Wait a minute. Your name sounds familiar." She snapped her fingers. "I know! You're Josh's mamodo, right?"

Jyan nodded, "Yep! Do you know where he is?"

Her smile fell as she shook her head. "Sorry. I don't. I'm not even sure where we are."

The mamodo's expression fell, but a grin soon appeared on his face. "Oh well that's alright! We'll just have to find him and the others ourselves!"

Haley grinned, "Right. I like the way you think, Jyan."

Jyan wore a similar grin. When something silver caught his eye, he turned to look at it. "Hey is that yours?"

She followed his gaze and saw Kai's silver spellbook lying nearby. The redhead quickly walked over to it and picked it up. "Kai's book! I guess that bastard wasn't lying when he said he would give our books back to us."

At that moment, all three teams froze when they heard Necro's voice from out of nowhere. "Greetings everyone! I'm glad to see you're getting along with your new partners."

Dinemo scowled, "What's the deal, you bastard! Why have you separated us from our book owners?"

Necro chuckled when he heard the same question asked by the other groups. "Well that would be too easy for you wouldn't it? If you were with your respective partners, you would simply use your spells to solve your problems. I'm not interested in seeing your spells just yet."

While he was answering the question, Haley and Jyan were busy trying to locate the security cameras with no luck. When she realized their tries were futile, Haley opted to just glare at the surrounding trees. "So what do you want us to do?"

Necro smirked though none of his captives could tell since he was using the intercom system he had placed throughout the area. "Simple I want to see how these mamodo react to having the humans with them attacked."

Everyone's eyes widened at that. Simultaneously, they shouted, "What?"

A loud cackle could be heard from all around them. "You heard me. I already know how hard Kai, Jyan, and Dinemo would fight to protect their own book owners. I wonder how they'd react, however, if another human they knew was targeted while also knowing their own partner was in danger."

Both Kai and Dinemo clenched their fists. "You bastard!"

Josh, deciding it was best to stay calm, crossed his arms. "And how do you plan to benefit from that? Sure you might burn our books, but I thought that wasn't your goal."

"Very clever, Josh-san. It's true there's more to it than me just attempting to hurt you humans. I also plan to study the mamodos' strengths as well as you humans' in facing the challenges I have planned. It's hard to explain to your pathetic brains, so I'll simply leave it at that."

Haley scowled, "I'll show you a pathetic brain! Once I'm done with you, you won't be able to count to ten without having to use your fingers!"

Jyan started laughing. "Good one!"

A growl could be heard over the intercom. "Enough of this. It's time to begin my research."

Everyone felt a slight pang of dread when they heard the scientist's next sentence. "I hope you live to survive the night. My last victim didn't even last more than a few hours."

Even though they couldn't see him, they knew the green haired mamodo had to be smirking as he said, "Good luck!"

* * *

**The mysterious figure that appeared at the beginning of the chapter is the awesome creation of stevethemime. I know I just used a pair of your OCs, but I couldn't resist adding this guy in because his profile totally fit X D**

**Josh and Jyan are the wonderful creations of thatguy3331. **

**Lee and Dinemo are the amazing OCs of Magic Jac.**

**Thanks so much guys for your OCs! I hope I was able to do them justice : ) **

**I know this chapter didn't have a lot of action in it, but it was necessary. Don't worry there will be action next chapter! X )**

**Also Munchlax Jr. I promise as soon as this chapter is posted I'll PM you so I hope you'll forgive me for forgetting last time ; )**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^-^**


	23. Stage 1: Tested Bonds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. It took me forever to finally figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter. Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews! **

**Eagle Eye Assassin: Thank you for the awesome OCs I can't wait to use them : ) And for the cool nickname *blushes* you're too kind ^_^**

**3thatguy3331 and Magic Jac: Yay! I'm so glad I was able to do your characters justice! I really enjoy using them. I especially find the parts with Josh and Dinemo hilarious. You'll see why very soon X D**

**Windraider: Oh don't worry there's more to Necro's plan than meets the eye. I just didn't have him go into more details cause a bad guy usually doesn't reveal his whole plan Muwhahaha! *coughs* Sorry I think I've been writing to many scenes with Necro haha**

**stevethemime: I'm really happy you liked that last line of his. I felt very proud of myself being able to come up with it. I was hoping you'd like it X )**

**Here's chapter 23 of A Battle To Remember! ^-^**

* * *

A dark chuckle could be heard from the single occupant of a dimly lit room. The only source of light for the room was from the many monitors that covered one of the room's walls. The area was relatively empty except for two chairs and the sophisticated computer system. Like the lab, this room was very clean, but the walls were a dull grey instead of white.

Necro grinned as he watched his test subjects curse him while walking through the forest blindly. _"I've been looking forward to this for some time now. I wonder if I should have mentioned what other tests I'll be putting them through."_

He wore a thoughtful expression before he shook his head. _"It will be better this way. After all, I'm very interested in seeing their expressions once the real tests begin. If they think I'm going to be the only one attacking them, those fools will be in for a big surprise."_

His glasses gained an eerie glow from the light of the many computer screens. _"Let the fun begin."

* * *

_

"Run faster, Haley!"

An arrow zipped by barely missing Haley's arm. Her speed increased. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

Around ten minutes after Necro's parting words, Haley and Jyan were assaulted by a barrage of arrows coming from all over. No matter where they ran, arrows were still being shot at them.

The silver book was clutched tightly to the redhead's chest as she hunched over to protect it from being hit by any of the arrows. She panted, "This is ridiculous! We can't keep going on like this!"

Jyan, who was a few feet in front her, nodded, "You're right." He came to a sudden stop. "Since running away isn't getting us anywhere, we might as well fight back!"

The black haired child lifted a hand in front of his face just in time to catch an arrow. The arrow was long, thin, and made of some kind of unknown light weight metal.

Haley also stopped and took in a deep breath. "What the hell kind of arrow is that?"

The brown-eyed mamodo attempted to break the arrow but failed. After a few more seconds of struggling, he sighed, "Beats me. Whatever it is, it's strong enough to not be broken by a mamodo. The body of the arrow bends like rubber. I've never seen anything like this before."

Before the older girl could reply, another arrow flew by narrowly missing her head. She ducked when another arrow came. "Where the hell are these things coming from?"

Jyan moved in front of the book owner and studied their surroundings. "There must be some devices hidden out here that can shoot these things at us. He did say this place was full of traps."

Haley brought up her right leg and kicked away another arrow. "Well at least we can knock them off course." Her eyes narrowed. _"There's gotta be something else though. I can't imagine this is all that's to this trap. I doubt that bastard would use something so simple."_

As if answering her thoughts, a series of clicking sounds attracted the duo's attention. A whooshing sound caused the two to tense.

Brown eyes widened. "Haley, get down!" He pushed the older girl to the ground just in time to avoid another arrow.

This arrow was different from the others, however. Instead of its usual silver color, it had a red tint to it. What really caught their attention was as soon as the arrow hit the ground the grass of that area burst into flames.

Haley and Jyan quickly got up and ran away from the fire. Luckily, the fire wasn't very large and soon died out.

The redhead wore a surprised expression. "What the hell?"

Jyan frowned, "This isn't good. We can't let those things touch us without getting burned."

Before the other could respond, more red arrows were sent flying their way. The two shared a look before separating.

As soon as they dodged those arrows, more appeared in their place. The redhead scowled, "I'm so gonna kill that bastard the next time I see him."

For the next few minutes, the girl continued to duck and dodge as she tried to run away from the arrows. She hissed when an arrow from behind grazed her arm. Haley looked down and noticed a red mark forming on her skin. _"Great, just great."_

"It appears you've been abandoned by your new friend, Haley-san."

The scowl on her face deepened at the sound of Necro's voice. "What the hell are you going on about now, you bastard? Can't you see I'm a little busy?"

A chuckle could be heard. "Oh yes of course. I didn't mean to disturb you. I just thought I'd let you know your situation since it appears you haven't noticed yet."

Haley growled as she avoided another arrow. "Noticed what, you bastard?"

"Jyan has abandoned you, Haley-san."

Hazel eyes widened as she scanned the area to see she was the only one there. She froze for a moment before moving again to dodge the incoming arrows. _"No way. Jyan wouldn't do something like that. He's a good kid." _Her eyes began to cloud with doubt as the worst case scenario played through her mind. _"Right?"_

Necro laughed at the girl's expression. "That's why you can't trust anybody in this battle, Haley-san. Everyone here is your enemy. Why would Jyan want to protect you if he can lose another opponent by letting your book get burned?"

Haley clenched her fists as she stared at the ground thinking back to when she first met Jyan.

_"You must be Kai's partner! I'm Jyan!"_

_"Oh well that's alright! We'll just have to find him and the others ourselves!"_

"_Run faster, Haley!"_

_"Haley, get down!" _

Hazel eyes cleared as her expression grew determined. "You're wrong! Jyan wouldn't desert me like that!"

"Oh? And what makes you think that?"

The redhead grinned, "Because he's my friend. I trust him."

Necro sighed, "How primitive. Oh well continue to be in denial if that's what you want." His eyes narrowed when he noticed the lack of arrows. _"That's strange. It shouldn't be out of arrows so soon. I wonder if one of my machines malfunctioned." _

"It seems you may have lucked out, Haley-san." He frowned when he heard Haley laugh. "And what is so funny, Haley-san? Please do tell."

The green haired scientist froze when he heard his voice through his speakers. _"What's going on? What's wrong with the sound system?" _

When he heard Haley's laughter grow louder, he growled, "What did you do?"

She clutched her sides as she continued to laugh at the bespectacled mamodo's now squeaky voice. "You sound like a chipmunk!"

Someone else's laughter caught the two's attention. Jyan grinned as he jumped down from a nearby tree branch. "Sorry I couldn't resist."

Haley smiled, "Jyan! There you are! I wondered where you went."

The black haired child ran over to the older girl. "Sorry if I worried you. I knew the only way to stop those arrows was to break the devices that were shooting them."

She ruffled his messy hair. "So that was your doing? Good job. I'm impressed."

Jyan smirked, "There's not a machine I can't handle. It was pretty cool though. The arrows were being shot by a bunch of these large bows made from that same flexible metal the arrows were made of. There were even these mini-robots that were refilling them! And they had flamethrowers which explained how those red arrows got so hot."

Haley rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "No wonder you took so long. You were admiring the robots."

The black haired child blushed, "I was not! I only looked at them for a second! I swear!"

"How interesting. My robots should've been capable of defending themselves if you attacked. How did you manage all this without my knowing?"

Jyan grinned, "While you were paying more attention to Haley, I moved the cameras I found enough so that you wouldn't notice me taking out your machines. It was a piece of cake taking them out. For an added bonus, I managed to find your stupid speaker system. I wasn't able to turn it off, but this works just as good."

Necro released a chuckle though it sounded more like a squeaky giggle to the duo. "I see. Well done, Jyan. It seems I underestimated you. I didn't expect you'd actually stay to protect, Haley-san."

The brown-eyed mamodo frowned, "Of course I did. I'd never abandon a friend. I heard what you said earlier. The only reason I didn't come out sooner was because I had to get rid of all the machines. I don't care if we're supposed to be enemies. Haley's my friend, and I'm gonna protect her in Kai's place. I'm sure whoever is with Josh will do the same."

He moved his gaze to look up at Haley and smiled, "I also heard what you said, Haley. Thanks for believing in me."

Haley grinned warmly at the child as she ruffled his hair again. "That's what friends are for."

"I guess I'll reward you two for your success by giving you a little recess. You can attempt to look for the others, but I wouldn't put too much hope into your search."

Jyan laughed, "You're only saying that because you wanna work on your speaker system to fix your voice!"

She chuckled, "Looks like Necro really doesn't like being laughed at."

The only response they received was the tell-tale click signaling that the nearby speaker had been turned off.

The black haired mamodo smirked, "Aw I think we got him mad."

* * *

"Hey, do you even know if we're going the right way?"

Josh sighed as he continued to walk with Dinemo not far behind. "No. How can I? I've never been here before."

Dinemo scowled, "Then for all we know we could be going in the wrong direction!"

The brown haired teen shrugged already used to the young mamodo's loud voice. "Yeah, but I don't see you coming up with any better ideas."

Dinemo's only reply was a series of curses. Other than that, the red haired mamodo made no other comments.

The two had been walking like this for about half an hour. Josh quickly realized, much to his disdain, Dinemo's need to talk incessantly and that the child always seemed to be angry though by using his skill the brown-eyed teen could tell that was only a front.

"Hey, stop. I heard something."

Josh turned to look at the mamodo as he came to a halt. "We are in a forest. You probably heard an animal."

Dinemo scowled, "It wasn't a damn animal. It was something else."

The older teen raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Before the redhead could explain, a large crash from a nearby tree falling caught his attention. The two turned in surprise to see a large form appear in the cloud of dust created by the fallen tree.

Green and brown eyes widened in surprise once the dust finally cleared. Standing there on four legs was a large mechanical creature that towered over them at around 6ft. It looked like a large panther complete with a very long tail. It was made of what appeared to be some kind of pitch black metal.

Red eyes focused on the two as the creature opened its mouth revealing several sharp metallic teeth. It took a step forward as it studied the two as if sizing them up.

Dinemo moved forward unafraid of the monster in front of them. He cracked his knuckles. "See I told you it wasn't an animal."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It sure looks like one even if it's made of metal."

"Shut up!"

While the two were talking, the panther made its move and leaped forward toward the red haired mamodo. Dinemo smirked, "I won't even need my spells to deal with you." He aimed a punch at the creature's head but froze when he saw the panther open its mouth to bite his fist.

The green-eyed child quickly brought his other fist up and punched the creature below its jaw with an uppercut. The mechanical panther was knocked back due to the strength of the mamodo's punch.

Dinemo grinned, "Ha! That'll teach you not to mess with me, stupid machine." The child winced after he clenched his fists. When his gaze moved downward, Dinemo noticed how red his hand was from punching the weird cat-like creature. _"What the hell? No normal metal from the human world should be that hard. What the hell is that thing made of?"_

"Hey look out!"

The red haired mamodo looked up just in time to see the panther lunge at him again. Dinemo reacted swiftly by jumping out of the way. Before the creature could turn around, the green-eyed child grabbed its tail and used all his strength to throw it into a nearby tree.

Like before, the mechanical panther simply rose to its feet apparently unaffected by the other's attacks. Josh's eyes narrowed when he saw the creature's claws grow. "Watch out for its claws."

Dinemo scoffed as he crossed his arms. "Like I need you to tell me that." Green eyes focused on the panther's paws as it tried to cleave him with its claws.

The red haired child tried to retaliate, but it seemed the mechanical creature's speed had somehow increased making it harder for the mamodo to attack.

After several minutes of dodging, Dinemo growled, "I'm tired of this!" He reached out and grabbed the panther's paws ignoring the claws as they dug into his skin. The green-eyed mamodo brought his head back and head butted the cat-like creature with as much force as possible.

Josh winced when he saw the blood on Dinemo's forehead. _"Ouch. That had to hurt."_

Once the panther was off guard, the redhead quickly picked the creature up and threw it as hard as he could. Dinemo grinned when the cat-like creature didn't rise to its feet as quickly as before. "Looks like I'm wearing the damn thing down. There's no way I'm gonna lose to that hunk of junk."

The mechanical panther shook its head and focused on the red haired child. Red eyes glowed ominously before the creature suddenly vanished.

"Wha-?"

Before Dinemo could react, the panther appeared in front of him and slashed at his chest with its claws. The green-eyed mamodo took a step back in surprise and put a hand to his now bleeding chest. "D-damn."

Green eyes narrowed in concentration as he scanned the area once he noticed the creature's absence. _"Where'd that damn piece of junk go?"_

Like Dinemo, Josh too was searching for the missing machine. _"I may not be much help in fighting that thing, but I can at least help find it." _A black blur caught his eye. "Dinemo, behind you!"

The redhead jumped away just in time to avoid the panther's claws. Before the mechanical creature could react, Dinemo retaliated by kicking it in the neck.

Dinemo cursed when the panther failed to fall over. Instead, it opened its mouth to bite the green-eyed child's leg.

The mamodo brought up his other foot to kick the cat-like creature in the jaw. Using this momentum, Dinemo managed to flip in the air away from the large panther. "Ha! Take that!"

Surprisingly, the usually quiet creature let out a loud growl. It pounced forward and swung one of its large clawed paws at the child's head.

Dinemo ducked barely avoiding the attack. He brought up his fist and punched the panther in the chest.

Unaffected by the punch, the mechanical creature used its tail, which was now longer than before, to wrap around the red haired mamodo's torso. It then threw him into a nearby tree nearly knocking the large tree over by the sheer force of the toss.

The green-eyed child coughed as he rose to a sitting position. Dinemo grimaced after wiping the blood from his mouth. "Damn piece of junk. Don't think this fight is over. I'm just getting started!"

The black creature lunged toward the mamodo baring its sharp teeth. When he realized he wouldn't be able to move in time, Dinemo closed his eyes and cursed. _"Damn. Where the hell are you when I need you, Lee?"_

Green eyes quickly reopened when he heard the sound of wood breaking. He looked up to see a serious looking Josh standing to his right with a broken stick in his hands. _"What the hell?"_

The brown haired teen gave the mamodo a brief glance before refocusing on the mechanical creature which was now staring at him. "I thought you said you were just getting started. Don't tell me you were just bluffing."

Dinemo scowled as he slowly rose to his feet. "S-shut up! I'm not done! I wasn't gonna let that thing hit me anyway. I was waiting for it to fall into my trap!"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Whatever you say."

Before the redhead could retort, a growl from the cat-like creature grabbed their attention. Green eyes widened when he saw it lunge for Josh. "Hey get out of the way!"

With new found strength, the green-eyed child pushed the older teen to the ground narrowly missing the panther's claws.

The brown haired teen was about to thank the mamodo but stopped when he saw the creature turn around to face them again. Quickly, Josh picked up the red haired child and broke out into a run in an attempt to get as far away as possible from the mechanical panther.

Dinemo scowled, "What are you doing? Put me down! I'm not done fighting that thing!"

The brown-eyed teen ignored the other's complaints as he continued to run. "How do you plan on beating it with those injuries? Right now the smartest thing to do is to run. That's no normal machine. Whatever metal that thing's made of, I've never see anything like it."

The redhead continued to scowl. "I can still take it! So let me go!"

Josh sighed, "I can't do that."

"Why?"

Surprisingly, a smile formed on the older teen's face. "Because I know someone who'd be upset if anything bad happened to you."

After a brief pause, Dinemo snorted, "Lee? Ha! He's such a crybaby!"

Josh shook his head. "He's tougher than you give him credit for. I may not know him very well, but I'm sure he'd be worried if you got really injured while he was gone."

The green-eyed child crossed his arms. "Fine. I won't get hurt anymore, so can you let me down now? We won't be able to outrun it."

As soon as the words left the mamodo's lips, a growl made the two turn around just in time to see the panther lunging toward them. The brown haired teen swiftly leaped to the side out of harm's way.

Brown eyes narrowed when he saw the creature suddenly disappear like it had before when it was fighting Dinemo. "Where'd it go?"

The red haired mamodo grew wide-eyed when he saw the cat-like machine appear to their right. Before he could warn the older teen, the creature pounced and swung one of its paws at the duo.

Josh grunted in pain as he got hit in the chest. The attack was so strong that he was forced to drop Dinemo as he was knocked back.

Dinemo froze when he saw how the mechanical panther ignored him and went after Josh who was lying on the ground a few yards away. He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't listen to him. _"Dammit!" _He looked to the side. _"Well it's not like I care or anything. He's not my book owner." _

Green eyes widened as Jyan's words from before played in his mind.

_"Josh better be alright, or I'm coming after you, bastard."_

The red haired mamodo's expression grew serious as he ignored his body's want to rest. He slowly rose to his feet and ran toward the creature. _"That's right. He may not be my partner, but he is Jyan's. He's a good kid. I can't let him get forced out of this battle because I couldn't protect his partner. Besides-,"_

Just as the cat-like creature lunged toward Josh, Dinemo reached out and grabbed its tail. With all the strength he could muster, the mamodo swung the panther as far away as he could. _"I always repay my debts!"_

The creature snarled as it flew through the air straight toward a large boulder. As soon as it made contact, the boulder was smashed to smithereens due to the combined strength of the redhead's throw and the tough metal of which the mechanical panther was made.

Dinemo crossed his arms and looked to the side when he saw Josh's surprised expression. "Now don't go thinking I did that to help you or anything. I only did it to repay you for earlier. That's all!"

The brown haired teen shook off his surprise and smirked, "Sure thing, kid. Whatever you say."

A familiar scowl appeared on the redhead's lips. "Shut up! And don't call me kid!"

The two stiffened when they heard a familiar growl. They turned to see the cat-like creature rising to its feet. They also noticed that there were now a few small cracks in the panther's metal exterior.

Dinemo grinned, "Guess that metal's not so tough after all!"

Josh studied the creature's movement as it began to move toward them. "Looks like it's not done yet. You still think you can beat it?"

The green-eyed mamodo smirked, "Of course I can! Just step back and watch the show."

Instead of waiting for the mechanical panther to come to him, Dinemo broke out into a run with a fist already reared back for a punch. As soon as he was close enough, the redhead aimed a punch at the creature's nose.

It opened its mouth to bite the oncoming fist, but its mouth was quickly clamped shut by a swift uppercut from Dinemo's other fist. While the panther was off guard, the mamodo brought his foot forward to kick at one of the cracks in the creature's metallic skin.

Dinemo smirked triumphantly when he saw how the crack grew after being hit. "That'll show ya, you stupid piece of junk!"

The panther snarled as it swung one of its paws at the green-eyed child. He narrowly missed its claws and responded by kneeing the cat-like creature in the jaw.

Another crack appeared in its metal exterior after the assault. It swung its elongated tail to try to wrap around the mamodo like before, but Dinemo quickly grabbed the tail before it could do so.

A mischievous grin formed on the redhead's face as he placed his other hand on the creature's tail. Before the panther could retaliate, the child lifted the metallic creature into the air and swung it toward the ground.

That was not the end of the mamodo's attack, however. As quickly as it hit the ground, the mechanical panther was once again lifted into the air and swung toward another part of the ground.

Josh chuckle as he watched the mamodo continue his assault. "I'm suddenly reminded of the Flintstones."

After a few minutes had passed, Dinemo finally released the panther flinging it toward a nearby tree. He laughed, "Try to get up from that!"

When the dust cleared, the two noticed how the cracks in the creature's metallic skin had increased and grown larger. Its usually vibrant eyes were now a dim red as if the machine had lost most of its power.

As if knowing it wasn't going to last much longer, the mechanical panther made one last lunge at the mamodo who gave it a dull stare.

"That's why I hate machines. They just keep fighting without any real drive. Even though it should know it's over, it'll just keep attacking until it can't do it anymore. All it cares about is doing what it's ordered to do even if it means it'll be destroyed."

Dinemo reared back and put all of his strength into this last punch. "That's why I'll never lose to the likes of you! I have my own goals! I'll beat everyone and become king!"

It seemed as if time had slowed as the cat-like creature brought down one of its clawed paws while Dinemo aimed to punch the machine's face. Then suddenly, time restarted as the mamodo ducked to avoid the panther's claws while at the same time making contact with the creature's face with his fist.

As soon as his fist hit the mechanical panther, a large crack formed on its face and traveled down the length of its body. He brought his fist back and watched as the creature collapsed to the ground. The dim red eyes continued to stare at him before finally going black.

Dinemo stared silently at the machine before Josh's voice caught his attention. "Good job, kid. I didn't know if you were gonna be able to beat it, but you did."

The redhead scowled, "Of course I beat it! Like I'd lose to piece of scrap iron!"

"Well done, Dinemo. I wasn't sure you'd win without your book owner."

The two stiffened at the sound of Necro's voice. Dinemo's scowl grew. "Shut it, you bastard! Or you're gonna end up just like your little toy!"

A low chuckle could be heard. "Now, now, no need to be so unpleasant. After all, I was congratulating you on your victory. Thanks to you I received a lot of interesting data. You have my gratitude."

Dinemo clenched his fists. "Like I give a damn about something like that! Just tell me where Lee and the others are!"

"Sorry, but I'm not done with Lee-kun and my other subjects yet. You see this is only Stage 1. My experiments have only just begun!"

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of Josh's stomach. "So you were lying earlier. You don't care about the books. The only thing you're interested in is seeing us fight for our lives!"

"That's not true, Josh-san. You see, I simply wish to study how each of you react to different events. So as to not ruin the surprise for you, I'll refrain from going into details. But to answer your question, yes there is more to my tests than to simply attack you book owners."

Dinemo growled, "You bastard, just wait until I get my hands on you."

Necro chuckled, "I look forward to seeing you try, Dinemo. For now though, you will have to continue to go along with my tests. Seeing as how you've worked so hard, I'll give you a little break as I go check up on the others."

The red haired mamodo scowled after he heard a click from the speakers. "Damn bastard. Like I need to rest."

Josh rolled his eyes as he dropped into a sitting position on the grass. "Maybe so, but I wouldn't mind resting a little bit. You should too."

Dinemo continued to scowl as he walked toward the book owner and sat down a few feet from the older teen. "Whatever." _"That bastard said he was gonna check up on the others. I wonder how Lee's doing. Hopefully he got stuck with someone strong, or he's probably in trouble. Not that I'm worried or anything."_

The brown haired teen wore a small smile after briefly glancing at the other's eyes. _"I knew he'd be worried. Though it's probably better that I don't say anything or then he'll never shut up." _He turned his gaze toward the sky. _"I hope the others are doing alright."

* * *

_

Like before, Kai and Lee walked in silence as they searched for their friends. The silence this time, however, was tenser than before. Both were caught up in their own thoughts after hearing Necro's final words.

Finally, Lee spoke. "Um, Kai-san?"

Kai sighed, "You don't have to add the –san to my name. Just Kai is fine."

The younger boy nodded, "Okay. Can I ask you a question?"

Kai shrugged, "Sure, kid. What is it?"

Lee looked down at the emerald book in his jacket. "Do you think the others will be okay? I mean, Necro did say he was gonna attack all the book owners. Aren't you worried about Haley?"

The wind mamodo scratched his head. "Yeah, but I have a feeling she'll be alright. I may not know Jyan very well, but I know he won't let anything happen to Haley. He's a good kid."

"That's right. If you're with me, it makes sense that Josh's mamodo would be with Haley since each team was split up, right?"

Kai nodded, "Yeah, so your mamodo is most likely with that Josh guy you mentioned. And I'm sure Dinemo will take care of him too. Even though he acts like he doesn't care, I'm sure he does."

The black haired boy sighed, "Yeah. Dinemo's an honest fighter. He wouldn't let another book owner get hurt like that just to get rid of some competition. As long as Dinemo doesn't lose his temper, I'm sure Josh will be alright."

Before the mamodo could respond, he froze and lifted his arm to stop the other boy. Lee gave the older teen a curious look. "What's wrong, Kai?"

Sapphire eyes narrowed as they scanned the area. "I thought I heard something." His ears twitched and Kai turned to see a purple sphere flying toward them. "Get down!"

The wind mamodo grabbed the other boy and hit the ground just missing the purple sphere that hit the nearby tree instead of its intended target. They weren't out of danger yet, however. As soon as the sphere made contact with the tree, it released a thick purple gas that quickly began to spread.

Realization dawned Kai's features as he pulled himself and Lee back into a standing position. _"It's like those gas bombs Necro used when he captured us!" _"Damn. We gotta get out of here, kid."

Lee nodded as the two tried to escape the purple gas. Unfortunately, as soon as they started running, more purple spheres were sent flying towards them.

Soon the entire area was filled with the purple gas. The duo tried to hold their breath as they ran, but it was no use. Unable to hold his breath any longer, Lee opened his mouth and coughed as he breathed in the mysterious gas.

Kai continued to run in vain before he too opened his mouth for air. A sudden dizzy feeling made him grab his head.

Once the vertigo had passed, the wind mamodo turned to see how Lee was doing but found that the boy was gone. He looked all over but couldn't fine the black haired book owner anywhere. "Hey kid! Where are you?"

The older teen began to feel uneasy after a few seconds passed without a reply. "Lee? Hey Lee, you there?"

A familiar chuckle made the black haired mamodo freeze. "He's right over there, Kai."

Kai shifted his gaze and grew wide-eyed as he took in the sight. Not far from him, he saw Lee completely tied up hanging from a tree branch. "Kai, help!"

The wind mamodo was about to comply when Necro's voice made him stop. "Now, now, Kai. I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see I have a little test for you."

Sapphire eyes narrowed. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"It's very simple really. All you have to do is choose."

Kai clenched his fists. "Choose what?"

Necro chuckled, "Choose whether to save Lee-kun or save his spell book."

The older teen quickly turned his attention back to Lee and noticed a mysterious figure clothed in all black kneeling on the branch Lee was hanging from. In one hand the figure held a long silver katana that was resting near the blue-eyed boy's neck while the other carried Lee's emerald book.

Kai scowled, "You bastard!"

"So what will it be Kai? Either my friend there can finish off Lee-kun but give you the book, or he'll leave Lee-kun alone and just burn Dinemo's book. Either way you'll lose a friend."

The wind mamodo clenched his fists as he glared at the black figure. Several minutes passed as he thought over his choices. _"How am I supposed to make such a decision? I can't let the kid get hurt, but he wouldn't want me to put his book in danger. How could I have let that guy sneak up on me? Earlier I didn't even notice when Lee disappeared. I should've at least heard him. It's all because of that damn purple gas. I wouldn't have lost track of the kid if I hadn't-"_

Kai stopped what he was thinking and then went back his last thought. _"Wait a minute. That gas! Maybe there was more to it than I thought. Could it be?" _"Hey Lee, what would you prefer I do? Do you want me to save you or your book?"

Without any hesitation, Lee replied, "Save me! Even if they burn the book, it's not like Dinemo would get hurt. He'd just get sent back to the mamodo world. He would rather that happen than me getting killed."

Sapphire eyes narrowed. _"I thought so." _"Okay, I've made my decision."

"Oh really? So soon? And what is your decision, Kai?"

Kai smirked, "I choose neither! Because this isn't real! It's all an illusion caused by that gas from before."

The wind mamodo watched as the scene before him began to change. The large tree along with the tied up Lee and the black figure vanished as if they were never there to begin with.

"Congratulations, Kai. I didn't expect you'd give me that answer. How did you figure it out?"

Kai crossed his arms. "Well I not noticing Lee disappear as well as not seeing that black figure appear was my first clue. Though my biggest hint was Lee's answer to my question. There's no way that kid would say something like that. Even if it was true, he would've never told me to give up on the book since he knew how much it meant to his mamodo."

"I see. I guess I shouldn't have allowed you to ask that question then though I was curious as to what you were up to. You quite clever indeed, Kai. I enjoyed picking with your brain. I look forward to my next experiment."

The older teen scowled, "Yeah, yeah whatever. Where's Lee?"

"Kai, I'm down here!"

Kai quickly turned his head at the sound of Lee's voice. After a few seconds of looking around, he spotted a hole in the ground. The mamodo looked down and saw Lee at the bottom staring up at him. "How the hell did you get down there, kid?"

The black haired boy shrugged, "Beats me! Just get me out of here!"

A few minutes later Kai had finally managed to pull the younger teen out of the hole. Lee sighed, "Thanks."

The wind mamodo stretched his arms. "No problem. Do you remember what happened?"

Lee shook his head. "Not exactly. It must have been sometime after I breathed in that weird gas that I fell in that hole. I must've been hallucinating because after I fell in it seemed as if the walls were closing in on me. I really thought I was gonna die, but I finally realized it wasn't real when I accidently tripped over a rock and bit my tongue."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Well that's one way to get out of an illusion. Either you figure it out yourself or do something like that to get your mind to focus on anything other than the illusion. In your case that would be getting hurt. Good job, Lee."

The blue-eyed boy rubbed his head sheepishly. "Well I wasn't actually planning on doing that, but I'm glad it worked."

When the boy saw the older teen begin to walk away, he followed after the mamodo. "Where are we going?"

Kai shrugged, "Anywhere but here. We have to find Haley and the others." Sapphire eyes narrowed. _"I just hope they're all okay. If Haley's hurt, that bastard Necro is gonna pay."

* * *

_

Necro placed his chin on his interlaced fingers as he studied the screens in front of him. The three largest monitors separately displayed the current locations of the three teams while the other seven except for one showed footage of the rest of the forest. _"It seems each team has passed their first test. How interesting. Of course I would have been disappointed if they hadn't. After all, they were by far my easiest tests. Now everyone will be on their guard."_

Amber eyes shifted to his left to look at another screen that had a picture of a brain with several large paragraphs of data typed underneath it. _"I'm glad I decided to use my hallucinogenic drug on Kai's group. Otherwise, my robot would never have gotten so close to Kai."_

While the wind mamodo was trapped in the illusion, Necro had made one of his robots get close to the older teen and make a quick scan of his brain. Because of the drug, Kai didn't even notice its presence.

The green haired teen pushed his glasses upwards causing a glare on the lenses. _"According to my results, Kai truly is a genius. It's unfortunate that he wastes his talent with his laziness. How foolish."_

The sound of a door opening caught the scientist's attention, but he didn't bother turning around since he already knew who the person was. "Were you able to collect the data from the robots Jyan destroyed, Vlad?"

His partner nodded, "Of course. As soon as their group departed, I made sure to scavenge what was left of the machines. That child really did a number on your robots."

Vlad walked toward the monitors and inserted a small micro-chip into one of the consoles. After tapping a few keys, one of the monitors switched from a view of the forest to a scene where Jyan was smashing a robot. The clip only lasted a few seconds, however, because the screen quickly went black after the black haired mamodo punched the robot right where the camera was.

Necro frowned, "Was that the only footage you were able to collect?"

The taller man pulled out the chip and put it back in his coat pocket. "Yes. Unfortunately, the other robots' memory chips weren't in any condition to be useful. It's almost as if the child knew exactly where to hit the robots."

Amber eyes narrowed. "Yes, it seems the information I received on that boy was correct. Even though he acts like an idiot, he's quite intelligent when it comes to technology. I'll have to be careful the next time I test him."

Vlad moved closer to the screens and focused on the footage of the three teams for a few moments before moving his gaze to stare at Necro. "Why don't we use go ahead and use 'it'?"

Necro raised an eyebrow. "How unusual. You usually prefer to use 'that' after we've done a few more tests."

The older man grinned, "Yes, but we haven't had such strong specimens before. I believe it would be very worthwhile if we skip ahead."

A thoughtful expression dawned the mamodo's features as he stroked his chin. "Yes, I see what you mean. I do grow tired of these simpler experiments."

Vlad clapped a hand on the green haired teen's shoulder. "Then shall we?"

The younger scientist smirked, "Very well, but you do remember the last time we used 'it' that our subjects died, correct?"

Like his partner, the black haired man smirked though his was even more sinister. "Yes, but what kind of scientist doesn't take such a risk now and then?"

"How true."

Necro pulled out a small black box about the size of a remote control from his coat pocket. On it was one large green button located near the top, and underneath the button was a small red knob with a pointer currently on the number zero. After he pushed the red button, the green haired teen twisted the knob so that it pointed to the number twenty-five.

"Let's see how our friends handle 25%. Hopefully they'll be able to last longer than our last subject who died after only 5%. It was such a pity. The experiment only lasted for a few minutes."

Both scientists' smirks grew larger as their faces gained crazed looks. Soon the room was filled with the sounds of insane laughter. "A pity indeed!"

* * *

**Woah I never realized I could write such a creepy cliffhanger until now. I hope I didn't freak anybody out too much lol**

**I'm sure you noticed that one team had more action than the others but that's because their test had to do with actual fighting. I know there wasn't much to Kai and Lee's test but Necro's main goal there was to get his robot close enough to gather info on Kai. I'm sorry that Lee didn't have much of a role this chapter but I promise he'll get his chance to shine next chapter : )**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! ^_^**


	24. Stage 2: The Bookowners' Struggle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**I'm alive! I cannot begin to say how sorry I am for making you guys wait so long. I've been pretty busy lately so I had less time to work on my story. Then at one point I got a bit of writer's block which prevented me from doing anymore writing. Luckily, inspiration hit me this weekend and I was able to work more on this chapter. Again I apologize and I promise I'll try to do better with the next chapter : ) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them you guys rock! X )**

**Here's chapter 24 of A Battle To Remember! I hope you enjoy it ^_^**

* * *

Haley came to a stop when she noticed Jyan wasn't following her anymore. Thinking the child may have heard something, the girl quickly checked their surroundings. Things had been relatively quiet since the arrow incident leaving the two on edge as they walked through the forest.

She then turned her gaze to see Jyan looking upwards and frowning. "What's up, Jyan? You sense something?"

The black haired mamodo shook his head. "No, but I have a feeling something bad is gonna happen soon."

"What makes you think that?"

Jyan scowled, "Because that stupid authoress doesn't know how to show mercy. She just wants us to let our guard down then bam! We're toast!"

The redhead rolled her eyes already used to the child's weird outbursts. "Is that so? Then I guess we better keep our guards up."

He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You don't believe me!"

"Sure I do."

Ten minutes passed as the duo chatted amongst themselves as they walked. Haley noticed the brown-eyed boy pinch his forehead. "Hey, you alright?"

Jyan nodded, "Yeah it's just a little headache."

The older girl froze when she heard the mamodo release a shocked gasp. When she turned to look at him, the redhead saw the black haired child was now holding his head and his forehead was scrunched up in apparent pain. "Jyan!"

Haley knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Is your headache getting worse?"

He bit his lip to keep from crying out from the pain. _"S-something's wrong. My head doesn't feel right. What's going on?"_

The redhead gave the boy a confused look when he pulled away from her. "Jyan? What is it?"

Jyan took another step back while shaking his head. "S-stay away from me!"

"What are you saying, Jyan? I just wanna help you."

Hazel eyes widened in surprise when the brown-eyed mamodo suddenly screamed in pain. "Jyan!"

She reached out toward to boy but froze when he reopened his eyes. His usual lively brown eyes were now a lifeless pale copper color. Like his eyes, the boy's face lacked any signs of emotion.

"Jyan?"

Haley took a step back when instead of replying the mamodo just moved toward her. "W-what's going on? If this is a joke, then it's not funny!"

The older girl quickly realized it wasn't a joke when the black haired child lunged toward her. Not wanting to fight the boy, she dodged and began to run away from the mamodo.

She clenched her teeth. _"I don't understand! What's wrong with Jyan? Why is he attacking me all of a sudden?"_ "Hey Jyan, snap out of it! I'm your friend, remember?"

Like before, Jyan didn't answer. He simply continued to chase after the girl in an attempt to catch her.

Haley noticed that the mamodo was gaining on her and pushed herself to move faster. _"There's gotta be something wrong with him. Maybe it has something to do with that headache he had earlier."_ Hazel eyes widened in realization. _"That's it! This has gotta be that bastard Necro's fault! Jyan wouldn't be doing this if he had a choice. Maybe Necro did something to Jyan before he released us."_

Her eyes narrowed in determination. _"Don't worry, Jyan. I'll save you." _

Realizing she wasn't having any luck of loosing Jyan, Haley started to run in a zigzag pattern in hopes that it would wear him out.

Unfortunately, the black haired child didn't slow down as he continued to chase after her. Despite all her efforts, the older girl wasn't able to lose the mamodo.

Even so, the redhead didn't let up and ran with all her might. She even began to move through the bushes in an attempt to slow the other down.

Haley clutched the silver book tightly to her chest as she gasped for air. _"I don't know how long I can run like this!"_

After running nonstop for what felt like forever, the girl looked over her shoulder to see if she was still being followed. When she didn't see Jyan, the redhead quickly crouched low and hid in some of the nearby bushes.

She sat like that for a few seconds just trying to control her breathing. While she was trying to calm down, the sounds of footsteps approaching drew her attention. Her pulse raced as they grew near.

It seemed luck was on her side as the mamodo ran right past her hiding spot. As soon as the coast was clear, the redhead released a shaky breath. _"Whew that's was close. I thought for sure he'd find me."_

Once she calmed down, Haley decided to try to put as much distance between her and Jyan as possible. Hazel eyes widened in surprise when a hand tore through the foliage and latched onto her throat.

Before she even had time to react, the redhead was pulled out of her hiding place and lifted her into the air. Haley struggled in vain before Jyan turned and threw her into a nearby tree.

She cried out in pain when her body made contact with the hard wood. The older girl slowly stood not once looking away from the mamodo who was walking toward her. _"Damn. This doesn't look good for me. If I don't think of something fast, I'm done for!" _"Jyan, snap out of it! It's me Haley! I know you don't wanna hurt me. I'm your friend! Please fight it!"

The black haired child continued to stare at her without any show of emotion. She did notice, however, that the boy wasn't trying to attack her like before. Instead, Jyan's fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"It's no use, Haley-san."

Haley froze at the sound of Necro's voice. Her surprise quickly turned to anger as she glared at her surroundings. "You bastard! It was you who did this to Jyan wasn't it?"

"Good guess. Yes, it was I who changed Jyan into what he is now. I'm happy to see the chip worked. You see, this is only the second time it's been used."

She raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about? What 'chip'?"

A sigh could be heard from one of the nearby hidden speakers. "I guess I should explain to you lesser beings. It's very simple actually. I have created a special kind of microchip that makes whoever I use it on lose control of their body. Right now, Jyan is following the orders I've sent to the chip I've implanted in him."

Haley clenched her fists. "I should've guessed as much. You sick bastard, you won't get away with this!"

"Oh but I already have. As we speak, Josh-san and Lee-kun are being attacked by Dinemo and Kai respectively. They're in a very similar predicament as you."

Hazel eyes widened. _"No way. Kai too? That means Josh and Lee are in trouble. I got to go help them! But how can I when I'm in just as bad as shape as they are?" _

While she was distracted, Jyan reached out and grabbed her by the throat. His grip tightened as she struggled to get free.

"You should worry more about your situation than the others', Haley-san."

* * *

Necro and his partner watched with morbid fascination as the redhead's face began to turn blue from lack of air. The green haired teen grinned, "It seems 25% was the right amount after all. Jyan doesn't seem to be having any ill effects from the chip. I wasn't sure if his mind was strong enough to handle it. I'm glad it worked out unlike with our last subject."

Vlad rubbed his chin. "Yes, but it only turned out like that because our last subject was already weakened by the other tests they went through. They probably would've been able to last longer otherwise."

The younger scientist nodded, "True, but that's what tests are for. It was thanks to that test that we were able to perfect the prototype."

His partner smirked when he saw Haley finally manage to push Jyan away with what strength she had left. "Then we were able to use it on that dog mamodo for our final trial. Because of its weak mind, all we had to use was 15% of the chip's power."

Amber eyes watched as Haley tried in vain to crawl away from the other mamodo. "Yes. Because of that, we now know that it works efficiently. Though we didn't get to use the chip to its full potential when that dog fought Haley-san and the others."

Vlad crossed his arms. "But of course. If we had, then they would have been too injured to be useful to us for our experiments."

Necro smirked, "Yes and we couldn't have that. Though now we don't have to worry about such things. After all, what kind of experiment doesn't get a little messy?"

Haley groaned in pain when she felt Jyan kick her in the stomach. She tried to roll away, but the boy stepped on her arm pinning her to the ground.

The redhead tried to ignore the pain in her stomach as she kicked at the mamodo who jumped back to dodge. As soon as the distance between her and Jyan increased, the older girl steadily rose to her feet.

Dull eyes watched impassively as Haley used one arm to clutch her stomach and the other to hold the silver book. Slowly he walked toward the redhead with his arms hanging at his sides.

Haley began walking backwards not once letting her eyes leave the mamodo before her. When Jyan lunged for her, the older girl saw her chance and quickly jumped to the side. She then took off running once again trying to distance herself from the boy. _"I've got to get out of here! Maybe if I find Josh and Lee, all three of us can figure out a way to stop our mamodo."_

Luckily, this time the redhead had a head start because the black haired mamodo had run into the tree that was behind her after she had dodged. Haley knew that wouldn't slow him down for long, so she pushed herself to her limits as she ran through the forest.

The girl continued to run until her foot tripped over a large tree root sending her tumbling to the forest floor. She winced, "Damn. When all of this is over with, I'm gonna be covered in bruises."

Haley stiffened when she heard what sounded like something moving through the underbrush. Hazel eyes widened in surprise when she felt something from above grab her and pull her onto a tree branch. "What the hell?"

A hand appeared over her mouth to silence any further outbursts from the redhead. She turned around and instantly relaxed when she saw a smiling Josh.

He put a finger to his lips letting her know to keep quiet and then looked down. Haley followed his gaze and saw Jyan walking towards the tree where they were hiding. The black haired mamodo surveyed his surrounding before taking off in another direction.

The two book owners released a sigh of relief once Jyan was out of sight. Josh moved his gaze back to Haley and frowned when he noticed her worn out appearance. "Hey, are you alright? Jyan didn't hurt you did he?"

The older girl smiled at the concern in his voice. "Don't worry, I'm okay. What about you? I heard from that bastard Necro that the other mamodo were under his control like Jyan."

Josh nodded, "Yeah it was really weird. All of a sudden Dinemo started holding his head like he was in pain. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he started screaming. Then he just stopped yelling and attacked me. Luckily, I was able to outrun him because of my longer legs though he did manage to kick me hard in my right leg before I escaped."

Haley raised an eyebrow when she saw his ripped shirt. "What happened to your shirt?"

The brown haired teen sighed, "It's a long story."

* * *

"Please snap out of it, Kai!"

Ignoring Lee's pleas, Kai continued to chase after the younger teen. Similar to Haley and Josh, Lee too had been attacked by the mamodo accompanying him. Unfortunately, the blue-eyed boy was in more of a disadvantage since he was paired with the tallest and oldest of the mamodo.

Lee winced when he felt a nearby branch scratch his arm. Instead of inspecting the damage, the black haired teen just kept running while throwing a few glances over his shoulder to make sure the older mamodo wasn't gaining on him. _"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. What am I gonna do? That guy Necro said Haley and Josh were in the same position as me, so I should try to look for them. But I don't even know where to begin to look!"_

Blue eyes looked behind just in time to see Kai lunge for him. Lee quickly moved to the side narrowly missing getting tackled by the older teen.

The black haired teen thought he was in the clear but was proved wrong when the mamodo quickly pivoted and reached out to grab the boy. Before he could react, Lee was slammed to the ground by the stronger teen.

Kai stared at him emotionlessly as he loomed over the book owner for a few seconds. Just as the older teen was about to grab him, the boy was surprised when his body began to move on its own. As if on auto-pilot, Lee's legs shot up and kicked the blue-eyed mamodo hard in the chest knocking him away from the younger teen.

Disbelief showed on the black haired teen's face as he scrambled into a standing position. "W-what just happened? How did I do that?" His blue eyes widened in realization. "Could it be from that time?"

_Dinemo scowled at his book owner. "You really need to toughen up, Lee! How am I supposed to be king with such a weak book owner?"_

_Lee frowned, "Shut up! I'm not weak! Besides, last time I checked book owners weren't supposed to be the ones who did the fighting. That's your job, remember?"_

_His partner's scowl deepened. "Idiot! Book owners have to be strong to protect their mamodos' books!"_

_The black haired teen crossed his arms. "Don't call me an idiot!" _

_They continued to argue until soon they were wrestling with each other to prove who was stronger. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, the two parted both breathing heavily._

_"Lee."_

_Lee moved his gaze to stare at his partner who now had a serious expression. Green eyes focused on his book owner. "You may have been able to protect my book so far, but that doesn't mean you will in the future. There will be mamodo way stronger than the ones we've already faced that we'll have to fight."_

_The black haired stared at the ground for a few seconds before sighing, "Alright. What should I do?"_

_Dinemo grinned, "Leave that to me! From now on, I'll be training you! After all, having a weak partner makes me look bad. Just call me Master Dinemo!"_

_Lee rolled his eyes. "Yeah right in your dreams."_

The young teen chuckled in amusement as he remembered when Dinemo made him go through his rigorous training. _"A couple of times I really thought Dinemo was gonna kill me."_

He was drawn back to reality after hearing a twig snap under the foot of the approaching mamodo. Lee's eyes narrowed. _"Guess that ends my trip down memory lane. Now what do I do?"_

When Kai got closer, the younger teen's body immediately moved into a defensive position with his arms raised. He then blinked. _"Wait a minute. I can't fight Kai! Even if he's trying to kill me, he's still my friend. It's not like he's doing this on purpose."_

Lee lowered his arms as a serious look dawned his features. "I don't want to fight you, Kai. You're my friend, and I know that you don't want to do this. So please snap out of it!"

Once again, Kai ignored his friend's pleas as he advanced toward the boy. The black haired boy took a cautious step backwards before fully turning around to run away from the mamodo.

Like Haley, Lee tore through the greenery in hopes of losing his assailant. He continued to run while looking over his shoulder every few seconds to see if he was still being followed.

After running nonstop for several minutes, the black haired teen slowed down once he noticed there was no one chasing him. Lee breathed deeply savoring the crisp air as his heart raced. "Whew that was close. I thought I'd never lose him."

Once he was able to calm down, the blue-eyed teen started to move with hopes of running into one of the other book owners. When a few minutes passed without any sign of the older mamodo, Lee finally began to relax though he was still alert just in case Kai was waiting for him to let his guard down.

The boy sighed, "How do I always get into situations like this?" The sound of nearby movement caused the teen to freeze. Blue eyes surveyed his surroundings as he slowly walked backwards away from the sound of footsteps. _"Please don't let it be Kai. Anyone is better than Kai. On second thought, please don't let it be any of the other mamodo either. I already have my hands full as it is!"_

Unfortunately, it seemed luck wasn't on Lee's side. For not long after his last thought, he stepped on a twig. The crunching sound wasn't very loud, but to Lee it was like a siren signaling where he was. The black haired teen mentally cursed as he watched Kai tear through the shrubbery and run straight for him.

Lee made a move to run, but Kai managed to reach him with a sudden burst of speed before the younger teen had the chance. The black haired mamodo grabbed the boy by the throat and lifted him into the air.

Bright blue eyes clashed with dull sapphire as Lee struggled against his captor's hold. Remembering his training, Lee quickly brought up his legs and used all of his strength to push against the mamodo's chest. _"I hope I do this right."_

He then used that momentum to do a flip successfully breaking free of the other's grip. Not wanting to give Kai the chance to attack again, Lee once again ran off with the older teen not far behind.

The boy absently rubbed his throat as he continued to run. _"Man that was close! I could've been killed!" _Lee inwardly began to panic. _"What am I gonna do? Even if I did decide to fight, there's no way I can beat a mamodo! I can't keep this up forever!"_

In his panicked state, the black haired teen failed to notice that Kai was gaining on him. By the time he realized it, it was too late. Once the gap between them was closed, the mamodo tackled the boy to the ground.

Lee cried out in a mixture of pain and surprise as his body hit the hard ground. He grimaced as Kai pulled him up by the collar of his shirt. _"Well at least he's not holding me by my throat."_

Necro's amused voice broke the silence. "It seems this is the end for you, Lee-kun. Any last words?"

Surprisingly, the usually polite boy actually scowled, "Go to hell."

"My, my, it seems this wilderness setting has had an adverse effect on your manners. I rather liked when you were polite."

Lee tried but failed to break free of the other's hold. "I'd like to see you act polite while having your life in danger."

Necro chuckled, "Touché. It was a pleasure getting to know you, Lee-kun. Your data will be very useful for my research. Now I'm afraid I'm must bid you fair well. Go ahead and finish him, Kai."

The younger teen struggled in vain as Kai repositioned his grip so that he was now clutching the boy's throat. This time, however, Lee was held at arm's length so that it would be more difficult for the boy to kick the mamodo.

Despite this, the book owner still tried to fight back. The grip on his throat tightened making it harder for the boy to breathe. Soon spots invaded Lee's vision a sure sign that he was going to pass out if he didn't find some way to get Kai to release him. _"I-I can't hold on much longer!"_

When it seemed like all hope was lost for the black haired teen, a loud familiar shout penetrated the silence. "KAI!"

The mamodo froze and turned toward the sound of the voice. Lee inwardly sighed with relief as he took in the sight of the two newcomers.

Only a few yards away stood both Haley and Josh both looking as worn out as the youngest book owner. Lee blinked in surprise when the grip on his throat slackened. Using this chance, he greedily took in some much needed air.

Haley slowly moved forward. Her expression was a mixture of fear and determination. Hazel eyes switched between gazing at her mamodo and Lee before finally falling on her partner. "Kai, put Lee down. I know you don't want to do this. You'd never hurt a friend on purpose." Her face softened. "Please let him go."

Kai stared blankly at the redhead for a few seconds not moving an inch. After a while, Lee grew worried that not even the mamodo's book owner would be able to snap him out of it. He quickly changed his mind when he saw the older teen's lips begin to move.

"H…al…ey."

It was nothing more than a whisper and if it wasn't for Lee's close proximity to the mamodo, he wouldn't have been able to hear it. A large grin formed on the black haired book owner's face.

A similar one appeared on Haley's face when she noticed her partner's dull blue eyes begin to brighten back to their usual brilliant sapphire. "Kai."

The black haired mamodo gently placed the younger teen on the ground and moved toward his book owner. Guilt plainly showed on Kai's face. "I-I'm so sorry. I swore I'd never do this again, yet I still let it happen!"

Haley shook her head. "It's not your fault, Kai. It's that bastard Necro's! Please don't blame yourself."

Kai frowned, "But-" Before he could continue, the shorter teen was stopped by his partner's glare. "Don't even think about it, Kai. We've already been through this once. You know as well as I do that it's not your fault." She began to walk toward him. "So believe me when I say that no one blames you for what happens."

Her partner sighed, "I know." A small smile appeared on his face. "Thanks."

The redhead grinned, "No problem, partner."

* * *

While the redhead was talking with her mamodo, Josh quickly moved toward Lee to check on the younger teen. Before he could reach the boy, however, Jyan and Dinemo tore through the nearby shrubbery.

Jyan ran toward his book owner while Dinemo went after his own. Dull copper eyes met regular brown as the two partners stared each other down.

The child lunged for the taller teen, but Josh easily dodged. He even retaliated by knocking the black haired boy back with his foot.

Unaffected by his book owner's attack, Jyan jumped and tried to kick the other in the head. The brown haired teen quickly ducked and moved away from the mamodo.

Despite his situation, there wasn't a trace of fear in Josh's eyes. In fact, there seemed to be irritation showing in the book owner's eyes. He then smirked, "So you really are letting yourself be controlled by Necro. And here I thought you were stronger than that. Guess I was wrong." _"If this doesn't snap him out of it, I don't know what will."_

Just as he thought it would, Josh's words deeply affected the mamodo. His eyes flickered between dull copper and their normal brown color. "S-shut u-up."

The black haired child's voice was barely audible but his partner still managed to hear it. Josh's smirk grew. "What was that? I couldn't hear you. You'll have to speak up."

Finally, the mamodo's eyes returned back to brown as he glared as at his book owner. "I said 'Shut up!' you bastard!"

Josh grinned, "Looks like you're back to normal. About time, I thought I was gonna have to kick your ass before you finally snapped out of it."

Jyan crossed his arms and huffed, "Yeah right like you could beat me." He took in his partner's worn out appearance. "You alright?"

His book owner shrugged, "I'm fine. I'll be better once we're out of this damn place."

The black haired mamodo smirked, "Looks like we're actually in agreement on something."

* * *

Lee saw his mamodo approaching and quickly tried to stand but failed when Dinemo tackled him. The two began to wrestle each trying to overpower the other. Finally, a few minutes later, they parted.

The black haired teen grinned, "You've lost your touch, Dinemo. I didn't think you could be so weak. I never would've thought you could be controlled." He knew provoking his partner could end badly but he, like Josh, hoped it would help his mamodo snap out of it.

As he hoped, a scowl began to form on Dinemo's face as he eyes began to flicker like Jyan's had. "W-who you c-calling weak?"

Lee's grin grew at the sound of his friend's hoarse voice. "You of course. Who else would I be talking to?"

Dull green eyes changed to a fierce emerald as Dinemo's scowl deepened. "Why you!" Instead of attacking like Lee expected, the mamodo froze. "Huh? I can control my body again!"

The black haired teen rolled his eyes as he slowly rose to his feet. "Really? I didn't notice."

Dinemo was about to retort but stopped when he saw his partner wince from moving. His scowl turned to a frown. "Hey what happened to you? I know I didn't do that."

Lee shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We should go check on the others."

The redhead walked toward his partner. "Tch. Who said I was worried?"

His book owner simply smiled as he shook his head.

* * *

Necro frowned as he watched the three mamodo each break free from the microchip's control. Amber eyes narrowed as his fingers drummed along the consol. "It seems 25% might not be enough for our little test. What do you think, Vlad?"

The taller man nodded, "Yes, we should definitely increase the chip's power, but to what extent? I wouldn't mind testing its full capacity, but it's too risky to use more than 50% while it's still in the testing stage."

"I agree. It would be best to gradually increase its power so as to not overload the chip. I think 35% should work."

Vlad watched as the bespectacled teen continued to frown at the screens in front of him. "I take it that there's something else bothering you?"

The green haired scientist sighed, "I don't understand how they were able to override the chip's controls. Their minds shouldn't be that strong. They should still be following my commands, but they're not. There's no such thing as a problem I can't solve." He clenched his fists as he scowled, "Yet here one is. And I do not like it."

* * *

Unknown to Necro and his book owner, a listening device secretly planted in the monitor room was allowing the black haired stranger who had followed the scientists to hear everything being said.

Using the device on his ear, the brown-eyed swordsman listened to the green haired mamodo's words while watching Haley's group from a high tree branch. _"The ones who think they know everything are the most foolish. You may know how to read statistics, but you know nothing of a warrior's spirit, Necro." _

He crossed his arms as he closed his eyes. _"What they lack in strength they make up for in spirit. The reason they're different from your previous experiments is because these mamodo have a strong bond with their book owners. A bond that cannot be easily broken by such trivial things as microchips."_

Dark brown eyes reopened and looked down to study the group below. _"Now it's time to see if these three teams are just mere pawns or if there's a knight hidden among them."

* * *

_

Kai sighed, "Even though you are right, I still feel guilty about what happened. But I promise I won't let it get to me." He scowled when he noticed all the scratches and bruises on his partner's skin. "What happened?"

Haley was about to tell him not to worry about it when the black haired mamodo suddenly grabbed his head. He winced as it began to throb. "Not again!" When she saw her partner fall to his knees, Haley ran toward her partner. "Kai!"

The worried girl placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "Kai, you gotta fight it! Don't let that bastard Necro win!"

Sapphire eyes met hazel ones. "Haley." His grip on his head tightened as the pain intensified. "Y-you need to get away from me. I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't want to hurt you."

Haley shook her head. "No way! I'm not leaving you! We're in this together so you have to fight it!"

Josh and his partner were walking over toward the others when they saw Kai fall to his knees. Worried, the brown haired teen increased his speed but quickly stopped when he saw Jyan wasn't following him. He turned to see the child clutching his head. "Jyan?"

Instead of replying, Jyan winced as the pain in his head grew. His book owner kneeled down and placed a hand on his mamodo's shoulder. "If this is some kind of prank, I'm gonna kick your ass."

The black haired boy released a weak chuckle. "Sorry but for once I'm not playing around. This is real." He took a step away from the older teen. "Get out of here, Josh. I have no idea what's gonna happen next. It's not safe here."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Like it's safer anywhere else? Remember we're in enemy territory. Besides,-" His eyes gained a determined light. "Even if there was a safe place to go, I wouldn't leave you, idiot. I'm stuck with you until the end."

Jyan wore a small smirk that quickly changed to a grimace. He clutched his head tighter as the throbbing became worse. "G-get out of my head!"

The older teen tightened his grip on his partner's shoulders. "Come on, Jyan, fight it!"

A scream tore through the mamodo's throat when the pain became too much. Josh's eyes widened. "Jyan!"

Like the other mamodo, Dinemo too was holding his head in pain. The redhead cursed, "Dammit! Not again!"

His partner quickly knelt down in front of him. "Dinemo? What's wrong?"

Dinemo pushed the other away. "Stay back! Get away from me!" The mamodo bit his lip so hard he drew blood as he tried to keep from screaming when the pain in his head increased.

Not listening to his partner, Lee worriedly stared at his partner. "Dinemo!"

Simultaneously, all three mamodo let out a loud yell of pain. The book owners watched fearfully as their friends' began to change. The mamodos' skin grew darker as a black aura surrounded them giving them a more sinister appearance.

The book owners gasped in shock when their partners looked up at them revealing pitch black eyes. Haley gulped as she stared into her mamodo's eyes. _"Now I know what it's like to look into a black hole." _

A familiar voice made the humans freeze. "Amazing isn't it? And this is only 35%! You should feel honored. I didn't think I'd have to use more than 25% of the microchip's power. I seemed to have underestimated your mamodo."

The book owners slowly moved away from their mamodo until they were in a group. Josh frowned, "Well isn't that nice. I'm sure Jyan and the others feel very special right now."

"Witty as ever, Josh-san. It's too bad I won't be able to enjoy your humor for very long. It seems your mamodo are out to kill. And who am I to deny them of such a pleasure?"

A chill ran down each of the humans' spines at the sound of Necro's laughter. Not wanting to let her fear be known, Haley opted to show her anger instead. "You bastard! Just wait until I get my hands on you!"

The scientist chuckled, "Unfortunately for you, it doesn't seem like you'll get that chance, Haley-san. I wish you the best of luck." Unknown to the book owners, Necro's eyes gained a crazed look. "After all, if by some miracle you do survive, then the tests can continue!"

Haley's blood went cold when the mad scientist shouted, "Now, finish them!"

The humans slowly began to back away as their mamodo moved toward them. Several thoughts went through their minds as the book owners stared at their partners, but it was Lee who voiced the one thought they were all thinking. "We are so screwed."

* * *

**Another cliffhanger! Even after long absences, I can't stop myself lol **

**I hope I was able to clear up why Necro started with 25% because I didn't mean to make it look like I was overpowering my OCs. I know the whole mind control thing is overdone but it's the type of thing Necro would do cause the guy is really crazy haha I'm sorry if I didn't describe the microchip very well I thought I'd leave some details for later to make it more interesting ; ) I realize I made it kinda easy for Haley and the others to help their own mamodo snap out of Necro's control but I made it like that to emphasize how strong their bonds are with their partners. Also I know I kinda dragged out the whole running away scenes but I wanted to make it realistic cause I know that Haley and Lee definitely put up a good fight before going down lol **

**Thanks again for all your wonderful characters guys! : ) I hope I was able to keep them all in character haha**


	25. Stage 3: The Power of Rareiki

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**I'm aliveeeeee! *bows her head repeatedly* I'm so so so sorry for the long wait! I really didn't mean to make you guys wait so long please forgive me! I wanted to update during Thanksgiving break but I had a stupid report I had to work on. Also I had a bit of writer's block and I was just being lazy. I'm really sorry guys I promise I'll try not to make you wait as long for any of my other chapters. Just to show you how sorry I am I made this chapter extra long. Chapter 25 is about 9,000 words long my longest chapter yet!**

**I wanna dedicate this chapter to stevethemime who helped me with my writer's block and Vstriker and Iron-Arm-V who just lost their grandma a few days ago. I know this isn't much but I hope it helps to cheer you guys up : )**

**I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I'm gonna try to make a Christmas special chapter before I go back to school. I'm not making any promises but I'm gonna do my best.**

**Without further ado, here's chapter 25 of A Battle To Remember! ^-^**

* * *

Haley gulped as the three mamodo continued to walk toward them. She tried to think of a plan, but no idea came to mind. The redhead tried not to let her fear show in her voice as she asked, "So any ideas?"

Josh, who was able to see through her façade, shook his head. Despite his usual calmness, Haley could tell he was worried by how pale he looked.

"How about we run?"

The two older teens turned to Lee and gave him incredulous looks. He shrugged, "What? I can't think of anything else."

Their decision was made when the mamodo suddenly lunged toward them. The three book owners shared a quick glance before taking off.

"Don't get separated! We don't stand a chance against them by ourselves!"

The two boys nodded as they ran with all their might. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain when their partners suddenly disappeared.

Hazel, brown, and blue eyes all widened in surprise when the mamodo reappeared in front of them and surrounded the book owners preventing any chances of escape.

Haley and the boys slowly backed away until they were all back-to-back each facing their respective partner. She stared at the mamodo warily. "Okay so running away isn't an option. Anyone have a Plan B?"

Lee clenched his fists to keep himself from trembling. "What are we gonna do? We can't just fight them!"

Josh narrowed his eyes. "Normally, I wouldn't be worried. Even if Jyan is a mamodo, I can take care of myself, but with their little power boost now I'm not so sure."

The redhead bit her lip as she tried to think of a plan. "We have to come up with some way to disable that damn chip that's controlling them."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "How? That thing's gotta be embedded into their skin. We can't just take it out."

"Um guys?"

The older book owners turned to Lee who was looking at the mamodo. "They're getting closer!"

When they turned to see their mamodo approaching them, the two cursed. Haley clenched her teeth. "Looks like they don't want to give us enough time to come up with a plan."

Josh rolled his eyes. "How rude of them."

Despite their situation, Haley and Lee couldn't help but grin at their friend's sarcasm. The grins quickly faded when they saw Kai lunge toward them.

The redhead dropped the silver book and moved into a defensive stance. "I'll take care of Kai. He's my partner, so he's my responsibility." Before the other two could argue, she ran forward and tried to punch the black haired mamodo.

Kai quickly caught the punch and aimed a kick at her side. The girl blocked the blow using her free hand. Once her hands were occupied, the shorter teen used his other hand to punch her in the chest.

Before his fist could make contact, Haley knocked his leg away and caught the oncoming fist. Now the two were at a stalemate, each trying to overpower the other with their strength.

Unfortunately, because of Kai's superior strength, he was able push the taller girl back. Hazel eyes widened in surprise when the black haired teen suddenly lifted her into the air and threw her into a nearby tree.

Josh and Lee, who were also fighting with their mamodo, saw the move and shouted, "Haley!"

The brown haired teen tried to move toward the older girl but was stopped by his mamodo. Brown eyes narrowed. "Great so you're saying I have to go through you first?"

Instead of replying, Jyan simply jumped forward and tried to punch the taller teen in the gut. Josh caught the fist and held the black haired boy in the air. "I'm really starting to appreciate my height right now."

Jyan lifted his leg and aimed a kick at the book owner's head. Surprised at the child's speed, the brown-eyed teen was barely able to dodge the attack. While he was distracted, the shorter mamodo used his free hand to land a hard punch on the other's chest.

Winded, Josh dropped the boy and held his chest. He coughed, "D-damn brat."

Once his breathing evened out, the brown haired teen slowly stood up and glared at Jyan. "Alright now the gloves are off. "

Using his power, Josh began to predict the other's moves and easily avoided them. Due to the child's increased speed, it was still hard to dodge, but he managed to each time. Jyan tried to punch him, but the brown-eyed teen easily moved out of the way.

He then quickly responded with a kick, but the mamodo dodged by jumping into the air. Josh smirked. _"Gotcha." _

While the black haired child was mid-air, the taller teen aimed a punch at the other's chest. Jyan's face remained emotionless as he brought up his two hands to catch his book owner's fist.

Black eyes widened when Josh suddenly leaned in and head butted the brown-eyed mamodo. Josh continued to smirk as he quickly dropped his partner to the ground. He then winced, "Damn, Jyan, if I knew your head was that hard I would've done something else." _"He'll be alright. I didn't hit him too hard. Hopefully it'll keep him stunned long enough so I can reach Haley." _With that, Josh quickly ran to his fallen friend's aid while his mamodo tried to regain his bearings.

Like Josh, Lee too tried to escape from his partner in order to help the older girl. Unfortunately, Dinemo was adamant about keeping his book owner from leaving.

Lee clenched his teeth. _"Damn. What am I supposed to do? Sure I've fought with Dinemo before, but this is totally different!" _He gulped. _"Dinemo actually wants to kill me."_

He quickly shook his head to dismiss the morbid thought. Blue eyes then narrowed in determination. _"I can do this. He may be under Necro's control, but this is still Dinemo. Dinemo can't kill me…I hope."_

Taking advantage of the taller teen's distraction, Dinemo charged forward and tackled the other to the ground. Before the book owner could react, the younger boy managed to punch the other hard in the gut. Lee released a pain-filled gasp surprised at the redhead's sudden speed but recovered quickly using his legs to knock the mamodo back enough to crawl away.

The black haired swiftly scrambled to his feet not once keeping his eyes off the black-eyed child. He took a step back involuntarily when his saw the other's cold stare but immediately stopped himself.

Lee clenched his fists. _"What am I doing? I can't let this shake me! My friends need me! Dinemo needs me! If I back down now, then I'm letting Necro win by letting my fears control me."_ His posture stiffened. _"I can do this. No one knows Dinemo better than me. If anyone has a chance of beating him, it's me. Now how can I use this to my advantage?"_

Realization dawned his features. _"I got it!" _He grinned, "Is that all you got, Dinemo? I expected more considering your new little power boost and all. Don't tell me you're already worn out. I'm just getting started!"

His grin grew once he saw the mamodo narrow his eyes. _"Yes!" _He began to run. "Well if you still got enough energy, how about you come get me? With that power boost of yours it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Like he planned, a scowling Dinemo tore after him. Of course like Lee imagined the redhead's speed was much greater making it harder for the older boy to outrun the other. Thankful for his longer legs, the blue-eyed teen increased his speed heading for a nearby tree.

When he was only a few feet away from the tree, Lee took a deep breath and shouted, "Come and get me, Shorty!" Knowing what effect these words would have, the black haired teen didn't even have to look to know what kind of expression was on Dinemo's face.

Grinning, Lee continued to run toward the tree not once letting up on his speed. _"I hope this works!" _

Thinking his book owner was about to be cornered, Dinemo charged forward and lunged for the taller teen. Unfortunately for the redhead, that was not the case. With surprising agility, Lee actually ran up the tree and did a flip landing a few feet behind his mamodo.

Unable to change direction in mid-air, the child could do nothing to stop himself as he slammed head first right into the large tree in front of him. Lee winced apologetically when he saw his partner hit the tree. _"Damn that's gotta hurt. Sorry, Dinemo, I'll make it up to you later when you're not trying to kill me."_

Using this chance, the black haired teen quickly turned around and headed for Haley who was being lifted into the air by Kai. Blue eyes widened when he saw she was struggling to breathe. "Haley!"

* * *

Hazel eyes slowed opened as she let out a soft groan. _"What hit me?"_ After a few failed attempts to move, she finally began to sit up. _"Oh that's right. I was thrown against a tree. Again. Damn what is up with that? Is there a sign on my back that says 'Please throw me'?"_

She was knocked out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching. The redhead froze when she saw Kai moving toward her. Biting back another groan, the girl slowly rose to her feet. _"This is just not my day."_

Before she could get into a defensive stance, the shorter teen quickly appeared in front of her and raised her into the air by her throat. Haley struggled to free herself from the other's tight grip, but it was in vain as the black haired mamodo simply tightened his hold on the girl.

"K-Kai, p-please d-don't do t-this."

The whisper seemed to fall on deaf ears as Kai continued to squeeze the girl's throat. Then suddenly the grip on her throat was gone. Instead of being held in the air, she was now on the ground with a familiar face looking down at her with concerned blue eyes. _"Lee?"_

She was about to ask what happened when she suddenly began to cough. Lee helped her to sit up and patted her back reassuringly. "Don't worry, Haley, you're alright now."

Once the coughing had passed, Haley gave the other a small smile. "Thanks, Lee." She was about to ask about Josh but stopped when she saw the brown haired boy wrestling with Kai. _"Josh!"_

Ignoring Lee's plea to not move, the stubborn redhead slowly rose to her feet and headed over to other two boys. Not wanting the girl to get hurt, the younger boy quickly ran after her.

Josh grunted when the black haired mamodo elbowed him in the ribs. _"Damn. Ok so tackling the guy maybe wasn't such a good idea after all. Now what do I do?"_

"Kai, get off of him!"

When he saw the black haired mamodo look up toward his partner's voice, the brown-eyed teen used this opportunity to kick the older teen away enough for him to crawl away. Chest heaving, Josh tried to rise but nearly fell over if not for the pair of arms that caught him.

Startled brown eyes met concerned hazel ones. "Are you alright?"

The brown haired teen blushed as he rose to his feet. The younger teen didn't have to be a mind reader to know that the redhead's concern was real. He coughed trying to will away the redness of his cheeks. "Yeah I'm good."

She grinned, "Good. Thanks for helping me earlier."

Her grin was infectious. "No problem though now you owe me one. Make that two since I also helped you with Jyan before too."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Right. I'll be sure to remember that."

"Are you guys ok?"

The older girl smiled at the black haired boy who came up to them. She was about to reply but stopped when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. The girl turned to see Kai walking toward them black eyes cold and deadly.

Brown eyes narrowed. "Looks like the others are ready for round two."

Haley followed the brown haired teen's gaze to see Jyan and Dinemo moving towards them. She sighed, "Just great, now what do we do?"

"Hey guys?"

The two older book owners turned to look at the younger boy. When he saw he got their attention, Lee continued, "I was wondering. Don't you think there's something weird about the mamodo?"

Josh snorted, "You mean besides the fact that they're under a crazy mad scientist's control and want to kill us?"

Ignoring the brown-eyed boy's comment, Haley moved her gaze to focus on the advancing mamodo. After a few seconds of studying them, her eyes narrowed. "They're movements are off. Instead of acting like a group that's after the same thing, they're like separate individuals going by their own desires."

Blinking, Josh turned to stare at the mamodo before realization dawned his features. "You're right. They're making sure not to get near each other. It's almost as if they're competing with each other to see who gets their prey first."

Blue eyes widened. "That's why they're singling us out! I thought it was just because Dinemo was my partner that he went after me, but that's not it! They're going directly by Necro's orders!"

Haley smirked, "His order for them to kill their book owners. Which means they'll only attack their own book owner!"

The three shared a grin and a knowing look. The redhead's smirk grew. "You know what this means?"

Matching smirks appeared on the two younger boys' faces. "Oh yeah."

* * *

Amber eyes narrowed as Necro watched the three smirking humans form a plan. "What are they up to now?" He clenched his fists. _"This is not what I had planned. Those weak fools should be dead by now. With 35% of the chip's power, the mamodo should be more than enough powerful to kill their book owners. How are they still alive?"_

Vlad studied his partner's rigid posture before moving his gaze back to the screens in front of them. _"It looks like Necro's plan isn't as foolproof as he thought. These subjects are proving to be very interesting." _"I didn't expect Josh-kun and Lee-kun to be able to escape their mamodos' clutches. They're more resilient than we thought. And of course Haley-san isn't going down without a fight. What would you like to do, Necro?"

The green haired mamodo rested his chin on his interlaced fingers as he pondered the older scientist's question. After a few seconds, his amber eyes gained an eerie glow. "Let's leave them be for the moment. I'm interested in seeing what those pathetic humans have planned."

"And if their plan is successful?"

A dark scowl formed on the younger teen's face. "Then we'll up the ante. I grow bored of these trivial battles. Once we finish studying Haley-san and the others' actions, we'll finish this. Unless they do something to impress me, I wish to get rid of the humans once and for all."

He begins to chuckle. "After all, as long as we don't burn their books, Kai and the other mamodo will be forced to stay here. I never said we needed the book owners for all of our tests."

Vlad smirked, "Quite right."

* * *

Haley, Josh, and Lee stood side by side watching their mamodo advance with identical grins on their faces. The redhead looked at her friends. "You guys ready?"

After a quick nod from the two, the book owners took off running straight toward the mamodo. Each mamodo quickly got into a defensive position waiting for their respective partners to attack.

Unfortunately for the mamodo, that wasn't what the three taller teens had in mind. As soon as they got close enough, the book owners scattered each heading for a mamodo that wasn't their partner.

Haley grinned at Dinemo's expression. _"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's surprised. Can't say I blame him."_ She pulled back her fist. _"I just hope this works!"_

The red haired boy quickly brought up his hands and caught the older girl's fist. Black eyes narrowed and studied the girl before dropping her fist. Like she suspected, instead of retaliating, the child tried to move around her to get to Lee.

Her grin grew. "Not so fast!" She aimed a kick at his chest preventing the other from escaping. Dinemo easily caught her leg then pushed her back almost making her lose her balance.

Again he tried to pass her, but the older girl quickly blocked his path. She clenched her fists after he repelled another of her punches. _"Well now we know for sure they won't attack anyone that's not their book owner. Now it's time to put the plan in motion."_

The redhead unleashed a flurry of punches in hopes of catching the shorter mamodo off guard. She scowled as he parried each of her fists with remarkable speed. A smirk formed on her face when an idea hit her.

Haley leaned down and swept one leg out under Dinemo's feet to knock him over. Like she hoped, the child quickly jumped into the air to dodge her leg. Once he was in the air, the hazel-eyed girl aimed another punch straight toward his chest knowing he couldn't avoid her fist mid-air.

Before her punch made contact, the red haired boy caught it using both of his hands. His eyes widened slightly when the girl placed her other hand over both of his gripping them tightly. She grinned "You feel like flying?"

* * *

While Haley was fighting with Dinemo, Josh and Lee too were realizing that the mamodo would only fight their book owner.

Lee jumped in front of Jyan preventing him from going after Josh. "No way, dude. You're not going anywhere!"

Remembering Dinemo's training, the taller teen aimed a series of kicks at the child hoping to knock Jyan down. Unfortunately, the black haired boy was able to dodge each of Lee's attacks.

Blue eyes widened when the shorter mamodo caught his leg and pulled it making Lee lose his balance. The black haired teen scowled as he pushed himself off the ground. He tackled Jyan when he saw the other try to get away. "Oh no you don't!"

Not wanting the child to escape, the two began to wrestle each trying to overpower the other. A few seconds later Lee finally managed to stand up while still holding onto the younger mamodo. "Gotcha!"

He leaned back just barely missing get kicked by the black haired child. The blue-eyed teen grinned, "You want me to let you go? Alright fine by me!"

* * *

Josh aimed a kick at Kai's side but the older mamodo easily blocked the attack. While the other was still holding onto his leg, the brown haired teen tried to punch the black-eyed teen in the chest.

Using his free hand, Kai caught the fist then simultaneously let go of the younger teen's hand and leg and shoved him out of the way. Not willing to let the other escape, Josh quickly turned and tried to kick the black haired mamodo in the side.

Sensing the attack, Kai tried to avoid the kick, but the brown-eyed teen suddenly stopped his leg in mid-air. Before the other had a chance to respond, Josh moved his leg downward aiming for the older teen's legs to knock him off his feet.

The brown haired teen smirked when the other jumped back to avoid the kick. "That's what you get for turning your back on me."

Going back on the offensive, Josh tried to knock the black haired mamodo back with a series of punches. Each time, however, Kai was able to block the book owner's fists. When the last punch came too close to the older teen's face, he caught it making Josh smirk.

Before the other could let go of his hand, the brown haired teen moved forward and grabbed Kai's arm. He turned and pulled the mamodo's arm over his shoulder. "Don't worry this shouldn't hurt. Too much."

* * *

Simultaneously, the three book owners shouted, "Now!" then threw the mamodo in their holds into the air toward the center of the area they were fighting in. The mamodo collided mid-air before falling into a heap on the group.

The humans quickly ran toward their fallen partners to check to see if they were alright. On her way over, Haley noticed everyone's spell books on the ground not far away. After making a quick detour, the redhead headed over to where her friends stood.

Lee bit his lip. "They're gonna be ok, right?"

Josh nodded, "Don't worry, they'll be fine. I doubt they'll be down for long." He watched as the mamodo slowly began to move and get off each other. "Unfortunately, that still leaves us in a bit of a bind."

Haley stopped by the two boys and gave them their spell books. When they raised their eyebrows, she shrugged, "They may not be much use now, but who knows? I prefer to keep Kai's book close by just in case." The girl turned to look at the mamodo. "So I'm guessing our plan to knock them out didn't work?"

The older boy shook his head. "I'm afraid not. They're too strong to be knocked out just like that. We may have found the major flaw in Necro's chip, but that doesn't mean anything if we can't turn them back to normal."

She sighed, "I had a feeling this was gonna happen. Well at least we managed to get them together. As long as we stay as a group, we should be alright."

Lee smiled, "Yeah! We have teamwork on our side."

The three book owners stiffened when they heard the sound of clapping. "Nice work, you three. Very impressive. I never would have thought that you would survive this long. I must thank you for your help. Without you, I wouldn't have discovered the glitch in the chip's programming. I didn't think Kai and the others would be so literal with my orders. Well done."

Josh rolled his eyes. "So happy to be of service."

Haley scowled, "You bastard! Release our friends now! We've already beaten your damn chip so let them go!"

Necro chuckled darkly. "Now why would I do that? I have much more experiments that I need to carry out, Haley-san. I can't afford to lose such interesting specimens like your mamodo. Besides, you haven't beaten the chip yet. After all, I've only used 35% of its power, remember?"

The green haired teen smirked as he saw the book owners' faces pale on the monitors in front of him. "That's right. We're only just beginning. I was trying to be merciful by only using 35% of the chip's power to kill you three, but you've tried my patience. It's time we end this game."

Lee took an involuntary step back. "G-game?"

Brown eyes widened in realization. "That's been his plan all along. He didn't really need us to begin with. All along he's been after our mamodo!"

The redhead gaped, "What?"

"Not quite, Josh-san. I was interested in you three in the beginning, but I just didn't plan on keeping you as long as your mamodo. Humans are such weak creatures. They die so easily. I have no need for such beings in my experiments. Though I admit I do appreciate all of the information you've supplied me up to this point. You have my gratitude."

Haley swallowed as she tried to fight back the growing sense of panic in her chest. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath to calm herself. _"I can't let him get to me. I won't let him see I'm afraid. That's exactly what he wants."_

Once she was calm, the older girl looked up. "You won't win! I don't care what you say. I'm not gonna die here! None of us are!"

Josh and Lee watched their friend with surprised expressions before slowly smiling. Their apprehension began to slowly ebb away thanks to her encouraging words. The two shared a look before moving so that they stood on each side of Haley.

The brown haired teen smirked, "It'll take a lot more than a deranged scientist who has too much free time on his hands to kill me."

Lee nodded, "Yeah! Like Dinemo always says, 'I don't die easily!'"

Necro sighed, "Stubborn to the very end I see. Oh well I suppose that's just human nature for you." His expression grew serious as he reached over toward the knob and turned it to 50. "This ends now. Let's see how you handle 50% of the chip's power!"

The book owners watched warily as the three mamodo quickly moved away from each other and gave off an even darker glow than before. Hazel, brown, and blue eyes widened as they watched their partners' bodies change.

Each of the mamodos' arms and legs bulged with new muscles, and their skin was now an ashy grey color. Their eyes seemed even darker than before if that was possible. A chill went down each of the humans' spines when their mamodo turned their dark gazes toward them.

"Now finish them!"

Before any of the book owners could even blink, their partners were in front of them. In less than a second, Haley was slammed into a nearby tree by Kai who had a constricting grip on her throat. Dinemo tackled Lee to the ground and gripped the young teen's wrists painfully.

Josh tried to use his power, but Jyan was too fast. The black haired mamodo gave a quick punch to the taller teen's gut and kicked his book owner in the head when the other bent over. Soon Josh was on the ground with Jyan's foot stepping firmly on his chest. He wheezed, "D-dammit."

Haley dropped the silver book and tried with all her might to remove Kai's hand from her throat. However, her strength was depleting as the black haired mamodo continued to suffocate her. Hazel eyes implored lifeless black ones to release her in vain. _"K-Kai, please don't do this. I know you're stronger than this. Please!"_

Spots began to invade her vision due to lack of air. When she couldn't move her body anymore, she slowly closed her eyes. _"Please forgive me, Kai. I wasn't strong enough. If I was a better partner if I was stronger, then we wouldn't be in this mess. If I wasn't so weak, I could've reached out to you, but I failed. I'm so sorry, Kai. You really were the best partner a book owner could ask for. You may have been a pain in the ass sometimes, but you were my friend, a really good friend. I wish it didn't have to end like this. I really wanted to make you king. You would've made a great one. I'm so sorry." _

Right as she was reaching unconsciousness, a single tear escaped her eye and fell toward the ground landing on the silver book below. At first, nothing seemed to happen but then the book began to emit a bright glow. Soon the light was so bright it encompassed all of its surroundings including Kai and the barely conscious Haley.

A few seconds later the light began to dim before slowing dying away. Hazel eyes slowly opened then blinked as the redhead started to wake. _"Huh?"_ Then the past events flooded her mind and she realized where she was.

Haley noticed she was still pinned to the tree behind her, but the grip on her throat wasn't nearly as suffocating as before. In fact, it was almost gentle. Her eyes widened in surprise when she looked up.

Tears were streaming down Kai's face as he stared at his book owner. Upon closer inspection, the girl noticed her mamodo's eyes weren't as pitch black as before. Instead, they were a dull black with small spots of blue.

The redhead opened her mouth to speak but all that came from her mouth was a scratchy cough. Once her throat was clear, Haley tried to speak again. "Kai?"

Kai didn't respond, but he didn't move either so she thought of that as a good sign considering he was just choking her a moment ago. The taller teen tried to pry his hand from her throat but couldn't move it. She sighed, _"Great. Now I'm stuck. Kai won't answer me and he won't move. What do I do?"_ Her eyes narrowed. _"Or more importantly, what happened?"_

Necro's angry voice startled her. "Kai! What are you doing? I didn't tell you to stop! I said finish her! Kill her now!"

Scared hazel eyes stared into dull black ones as the grip on her throat began to tighten. _"No! Not again!" _"No! Kai, please stop this! It's me, Haley! Your friend! You don't want to do this! You're stronger than this, Kai! Please!"

The pressure on her throat stopped. A few heart pounding seconds later it eased off until it was gone making her drop to the ground. Haley rubbed at her throat absently as she watched her partner.

Kai was gripping his head so tightly she was afraid he might hurt himself. His lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.

"Kai, kill her now! I command you!"

Haley glared in the direction the green haired scientist's voice was coming from. "Shut the hell up, you bastard! Kai's not listening to you anymore!" She slowly rose to her feet and moved toward the shorter mamodo. "Kai?"

Kai's sudden yell of pain made her jump as he fell to his knees. The redhead ran over and knelt by her partner. "Kai!"

He continued to thrash as he held his head. Haley grabbed his shoulders. "You can do it, Kai! You're way stronger than that damn chip! Just keep fighting it! You're not in this alone. I'm right here."

Hazel eyes widened when Kai's body began to emit a silver glow. "W-what?" Soon the glow was so bright she had to squint to look at her friend. _"It's like when we use Chisokumera, but this isn't a spell. What's going on?"

* * *

_

Lee winced as the pressure on his wrists increased. He struggled in vain as Dinemo rearranged the taller teen's arms so that the mamodo was holding down both of Lee's hands with only one of his arms. Now free handed, the redhead began attacking the trapped teen with a flurry of punches.

Luckily, the shorter mamodo hadn't been aiming for his book owner's face, but Lee's chest was now covered in bruises. He snorted,_ "If I'm that lucky, I wouldn't be surprised if he broke one of my ribs. It hurts enough."_

Lee hissed when his mamodo added pressure to his wounded chest. _"Dammit. Yep probably more than just bruising." _He fought back tears when the pain increased. _"I am not gonna cry. That's not gonna help anything."_ The blue-eyed boy sighed, _"Though what's the point. I'm going to die here anyway. I know Haley said we were gonna be alright but maybe she was wrong. No matter how I see it I don't see a way out of this. I'm gonna be killed by my best friend. I'm sorry I wasn't as strong as you wanted me to be, Dinemo. I tried my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough. I'm sorry."_

This time Lee didn't bother fighting back the tears. As Dinemo leaned in for the finishing move, a few tears cascaded down his cheeks and landed on the emerald book lying by his head. The black haired teen closed his eyes as the mamodo brought down his fist.

Similar to Kai's silver book, Dinemo's emerald one began to glow brightly until the light was so bright it engulfed the two. Finally, the light died and blue eyes opened wondering why he didn't feel the final blow.

Lee looked up surprised to see Dinemo's fist only a few millimeters away from his face. When he moved his gaze to stare at his mamodo's face, he noticed the child's eyes were different from before. They were now a dull black with specks of green.

He also saw that Dinemo was biting down on his bottom lip so hard it was bleeding. Not only that, the fist in front of Lee's face was also bleeding from the redhead clenching it so tightly. The older boy looked back at his partner. "Dinemo?"

When the redhead didn't respond, Lee opened his mouth to try again but was stopped by a familiar furious voice. "Dinemo, finish him! I told you to kill the boy so do it! Do it now!"

The black haired teen watched nervously as Dinemo began to pull his fist back to finish what he had started earlier. "Dinemo, don't do it! It's me, Lee! You don't want to do this! Please fight this! Don't let that bastard win! Please!"

Once again the fist froze mid-strike. Lee held his breath then released a sigh of relief when Dinemo finally pulled away and got off of him. The shorter mamodo clutched his head and began to yell.

If it was possible, Necro's voice seemed even angrier than before. "Dinemo, listen to your master! I order you to kill your book owner!"

Lee scowled, "You're not his master! He doesn't have to listen to you anymore!" He sat up and reached for his partner ignoring his pounding chest. "Dinemo! You can do it! Fight it! I know you're stronger than him! Don't let him beat you!"

Dinemo released another pain-filled yell as his body gave off an emerald glow. Blue eyes widened. "What's going on?"

* * *

Josh tried to push the mamodo off of him, but it was no use. Jyan lifted his foot then stomped hard on his book owner's chest. The brown haired teen yelled in pain when he felt something snap. He glared weakly at the mamodo. _"Damn. I think he broke one of my ribs." _

Brown eyes stared into pitch black ones hoping to be able to read the child's emotions. Josh sighed, _"Guess my ability doesn't work on people who are being mind-controlled."_ He released a bitter laugh. _"Not that knowing what he's thinking or feeling is gonna help me get out of this. I'm screwed."_

The older teen winced when the pressure on his chest increased. He clenched his teeth tightly and tried to block out the pain. _"Dammit. How could something like this happen? I used to tell Jyan he'd be the death of me, but I didn't mean it literally!"_

When he saw Jyan reach toward his neck, Josh brought up his one of his arms to defend himself but it was easily pinned down with one Jyan's. The black haired mamodo grabbed the older teen's throat and began to squeeze.

The brown-eyed teen struggled, but the pain in his chest made him stop. He wearily watched as his partner stared down at him. A spot of blue out of the corner of his eye made Josh turn to see Jyan's blue book laying nearby.

Using his free hand, the brown haired teen grabbed the blue book and gripped it tightly. His vision slowly began to darken. _"Well at least I managed to keep the damn book in one piece. I did my job though for some reason that doesn't make me feel any better. I can't believe this! When did I become so weak?" _

His brown eyes slowly closed. _"Sorry, Jyan. Looks like I won't be able to make you king after all."_

As if responding to the book owner's feelings, the blue book gave off a bright glow that surrounded the two. Seconds later, the light disappeared, and Josh began to cough as the pressure eased up on his throat.

He blinked in surprise when he looked at Jyan. Like the other mamodo, the black haired child was frozen in place. What caught the book owner's eye was the fact that the young boy was actually crying. Not only that, Jyan's eyes were now a dull black with flecks of brown.

Josh raised an eyebrow. _"What the hell?" _"Jyan?"

The older teen tried to sit up, but Jyan's foot on his chest kept him firmly planted on the ground. He tried to push the kid off of him, but the shorter mamodo wouldn't budge. Josh sighed, "Great. Just great."

The brown-eyed teen stiffened when he heard Necro's voice. "Jyan! Kill him! Do not disobey me! Finish him!"

Josh blinked. _"What's up with him? I've never heard him sound so angry before. Hell he even sounds annoyed. What's going on?" _He then smirked, _"I may not know what's going on, but it sure sounds good for me."_

Brown eyes focused on dull black ones ignoring the increasing pressure on his chest and throat. "Jyan, snap out of it! Since when did you start listening to someone else's orders? You've never let anyone tell you what to do before. So don't start now!"

The taller teen grinned as the pressure on his throat and chest disappeared. He slowly sat up wincing at the pain from his chest. Ignoring it for now, Josh turned to look at Jyan who was holding his head. "Come on, Jyan, fight it! I'll never let you hear the end of it if you lose to a piece of metal!"

Josh watched in amazement as a blue light surrounded his mamodo. Soon he could barely see Jyan because of its brightness. "What the hell?"

* * *

The mysterious swordsman watched with interest from his perch on a high tree branch as the three mamodo below began to glow. Dark brown eyes narrowed as he inched closer to get a better look. _"It can't be." _

The black haired teen closed his eyes and calmed his breathing as he focused on the mamodos' auras. His eyes quickly flashed open. _"It is." _

He crossed his arms as he studied the mamodo below. _"Interesting. I didn't expect they would be strong enough to use their __Rareiki. A mamodo's inner energy is very powerful if wielded wisely. One must have a strong mind and spirit to be able to use it. Looks like I'll need to update my information on those three after all."_

The young swordsman moved his gaze to one of the book owners below. _"Though I have a feeling there's more than the mamodos' strength that's involved. Underestimating those humans will be Necro's downfall. It's true that humans are weak creatures, but they also have the power to rise to the occasion. Those three are perfect examples."_

He leaned back against the trunk of the tree. _"It seems the pawn's usefulness is coming to an end." _With that, the mysterious figure merged with the shadows and disappeared without a trace.

* * *

Necro slammed open palms on the computer console in front of him. "What is going on here? They shouldn't be able to resist me! First their books start glowing and now this? What the hell is happening?"

His book owner began typing on the keyboard in front of him and studied the screens. "For some reason, the chips are not responding. It's almost as if they're being overpowered."

Amber eyes narrowed. "Overpowered? How is that possible?" He clenched his fists. "I'll show them overpowered." The green haired scientist reached for the dial. "Let's see how they handle 100% of the chip's power!"

Vlad grabbed the mamodo's wrist. "What are you doing? This chip is only a prototype. It can't handle that much power yet! If you do that, you'll cause permanent damage to their brains! You could kill them!"

The bespectacled teen growled and pulled away from his partner. "Shut up! I know what I'm doing! It'll be fine!" He grabbed the dial and twisted it until it pointed at 100. "Let's see them fight that!"

Necro's eyes widened in surprise when the computer console began to short circuit. Soon sparks began to fly and the computers started to crash despite the two scientists' best efforts to stop it.

Finally, a few seconds later, everything stopped, and the two partners didn't move. Slowly they approached the computer console to assess the damage done. Necro scowled, "The system's fried! Everything's gone! I can't believe this!"

Vlad tried typing on the keyboard but received no response. He sighed, "I told you not to do it. The chip wasn't ready for that much power. It was too much for our computers to handle."

The shorter teen snarled, "I know that! I'm no fool!" He punched the broken console and shook his head. A few seconds passed in silence before the amber-eyed mamodo sighed.

Necro slowly straightened his posture then dusted off his clothes. He pulled off his glasses and began to polish them with a piece of cloth from his coat pocket. "I apologize, Vlad. I lost my temper. Because of that, I ruined the precious equipment you procured for us."

The black haired man crossed his arms and leaned against the nearby wall. "Yes and it was very expensive too." He chuckled, "Oh well you can't put a price on science. So what do you wish to do now?"

His partner put his glasses back on and pushed them so that a glare on the lenses hid his eyes. "Do not worry. I always have a backup plan. I think it's time we do a little field work of our own."

The glare disappeared revealing dark amber eyes that possessed an eerie calm look to them. Vlad, however, could easily see past the fake calm exterior to the demon underneath.

He smirked. Oh yeah Necro was pissed.

* * *

Simultaneously, the three mamodo screamed in pain as they clutched their heads. While trying to help their partners, the book owners noticed the lights around their friends were beginning to dim.

Haley kept a tight grip on Kai's shoulders. _"I may not know what's going on, but I have a feeling that's not a good thing." _"Kai! Hang in there! You can do it!"

Lee cradled his chest with one arm while the other held on to one of Dinemo's arms. "Come on, Dinemo! Fight it!"

Josh placed one of his hands on Jyan's head while the other was wrapped around his mid-section. "Don't give up now, Jyan! You're almost there!"

As if responding to their partner's words, the lights around the three mamodo began to brighten. Soon it was shining so intensely it became blinding to the humans who had to close their eyes.

Finally, when the lights began to die down, the book owners slowly opened their eyes to look at their partners. Each of the mamodo had their eyes closed and were perfectly still not moving an inch from their kneeled positions on the ground. Their skin tones were back to their natural colors, and their physical forms appeared to be back to normal.

"Kai?" "Jyan?" "Dinemo?"

The three humans called out to their mamodo hoping for the best. They held their breath as the mamodo slowly opened their eyes.

Haley, Josh, and Lee each released a sigh of relief when bright sapphire, brown, and green eyes stared back at them respectively. The mamodo appeared dazed at first before realization slowly dawned their features.

"Haley!" "Josh!" "Lee!"

The two children tackled their partners while Kai hugged Haley. She grinned, "Aw you happy to see me?"

His grip tightened. "Shut up, you stupid girl." There was no annoyance in his voice only relief as the shorter teen slowly pulled away to look at the girl. "I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't let something like this happen again, but I did. I hurt you. Hell I almost killed you!"

Hazel eyes softened. "But you didn't. You won in the end."

Kai snorted, "Yeah right as I was about to kill you." He looked down unable to meet her gaze. "I'm supposed to protect you, yet in the end you were doing more protecting than me. If it wasn't for your voice egging me on, I wouldn't have been able to break free from that bastard's control."

The redhead leaned down enough so that he was forced to look at her. "That's what friends are for. It's not a one-way street you know. I want to protect you just as much as you want to protect me. But-" She waited until he lifted his gaze to give him a warm smile. "I'm glad I was able to help you in the end. Earlier I felt so useless. I was afraid I let you down as your partner."

He shook his head vehemently and grabbed one of her shoulders. "You didn't. If anything, I was the one who was useless. I felt like I was a stranger in my own body forced to watch helplessly as I attacked you."

Haley squeezed his hand encouragingly. They stayed silent like that for a few minutes before Kai finally sighed, "I feel like I should apologize some more, but I know you don't want to hear it so I won't. I'll always feel horrible about this, but I promise I won't let him bring me down. We're still in danger, and the last thing I need to be is distracted."

The black haired teen looked up and gave his friend a small smile. "So I guess instead of saying sorry, I'll just say thank you. How's that?"

She grinned, "Sounds good and you're welcome." The girl winked, "Anytime, partner."

* * *

Josh winced when Jyan tackled him but made no move to rebuke the child. Jyan looked up at him with wide eyes. "Dude, I'm so sorry! I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't!"

The brown haired teen rolled his eyes. "Get off. You're crushing me." The boy immediately moved off his partner and watched the older teen sit up with worried eyes. Josh grimaced at the pain from his chest but made sure to school his features so Jyan wouldn't see. "I'm not mad at you. It's Necro's fault not yours. Besides, you were able to control yourself in the end so that's what matters."

Jyan bit his lip. "Yeah I guess so." His shoulders slumped. "But it doesn't stop me from feeling bad."

His book owner sighed, "I wouldn't expect it to, but don't let it get to you. If you do, you're just gonna give Necro what he wants."

The black haired mamodo nodded, "I know." He scowled as he punched the ground angrily. "Dammit! I can't believe I let that bastard take control of me like that! Next time I see him I'm so gonna kick his ass!"

Josh released a chuckle that quickly turned into a wince. "Get in line, kid. You're not the only one."

His partner wore a worried frown. "Are you okay?"

The brown-eyed teen held his chest gingerly. "Honestly? No, but I'll live. Just don't expect me to start running any marathons anytime soon."

Jyan rolled his eyes. "Like you could even do that before."

Josh scowled, "Watch it. Don't make me have to kick your ass."

The black haired child smirked, "I'd like to see you try!"

* * *

Lee groaned, "Dinemo, get off! My chest hurts enough as it is without your heavy weight on me!"

The redhead scowled, "I'll show you heavy weight." Despite his comment, the mamodo moved off of his book owner and crossed his arms. "What a pansy."

His partner gaped, "Pansy? You broke at least one of my ribs!"

Dinemo flinched but continued to scowl at his partner. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." A few minutes passed in silence before the child mumbled something incoherent.

The black haired teen tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? What was that?"

His friend's scowl grew as he turned his fiery green eyes to the taller teen. "I said sorry, alright? I'm sorry I broke one of your damn ribs and killed you! Happy?" He then quickly moved his gaze away from the other not wanting to meet his book owner's gaze.

When there was no reply, Dinemo looked back to see a wide-eyed Lee gaping at him. "What?"

Lee remained speechless for a few seconds then shook his head. "Sorry, I just never heard you apologize to me before. I'm kind of in shock."

The redhead scowled, "Well don't get used to it. This is a onetime thing, alright?"

Lee nodded his head and began to smile. "Sure thing, Dinemo."

* * *

Slowly the mamodo helped their book owners to their feet, and everyone gathered together in one spot. Haley frowned worriedly at Josh and Lee who were holding their chests protectively. "We need to get out of here. You guys need a hospital."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "How? Last time I checked we were stranded in the middle of a forest."

Lee nodded, "Yeah! And what about Necro? I don't think he's gonna just let us leave."

While the older teens continued to talk, Jyan studied his surroundings searching for something. Dinemo gave the black haired child a curious look. "Hey kid, whatcha looking for?"

A large grin formed on the brown-eyed child's face as he dashed toward a nearby tree and began to climb it. The redhead chased after him. "Hey what are you doing?"

Dinemo's loud voice caught the others' attention and they turned to see Jyan disappear in the tree's foliage. Josh massaged his forehead. "What's that idiot up to now?"

"Hey I heard that!"

The others watched with amused expressions as they listened to Jyan who spent the next five minutes in the tree. Haley walked over to the tree. "Jyan, what are you doing up there?"

Finally, the black haired child appeared as he quickly scrambled down the tree with a large smirk on his face. "Guess what I found out!"

"What? That you're part monkey?"

Jyan scowled at his book owner while the others chuckled. "Bastard." The scowl quickly turned back to a wide smirk. "I found a part of Necro's sound system."

Kai crossed his arms. "So that's what you were looking for. I was wondering."

Dinemo scratched his head. "I don't get it. How's finding a speaker gonna help us?"

The brown-eyed mamodo shrugged, "It doesn't. Well not really. But after I looked at it, I learned something very interesting."

Haley grinned already used to mischievous mamodo's attitude. "So what did you find, Mr. Whiz kid?"

Jyan's smirk grew. "The speaker was fried. It's completely shorted out."

Lee wore a confused expression. "I don't understand. What does that mean?"

Sapphire eyes widened. "I think I get what you're saying, Jyan. Something happened."

The black haired child nodded, "Yep. Something must've gone wrong at Necro's control center causing his whole system to short circuit. Whatever happened must've been powerful since it affected the speakers out here."

Josh grinned, "I bet he's not too happy about that."

Dinemo scowled, "What does that mean for us?"

Haley continued to grin. "It means the little bastard can't listen in on us or watch us anymore."

Kai smirked, "It also means that we can set a trap for him."

Lee scratched his head. "But how are we gonna find him to set a trap?"

Josh shook his head. "We won't have to. He'll come to us."

Jyan crossed his arms. "And we'll be ready for him."

When she saw that Lee was still confused, Haley began to explain. "Because he can't see or listen to us anymore, he won't know where we are. The only way that he can continue his experiments is if he looks for us."

Lee started to grin. "Oh I get it! So when he comes for us we'll trap him!"

Dinemo rolled his eyes. "Nice one, genius. Nothing gets by you."

The black haired teen scowled, "Shut up."

Before the two could start their arguing, Kai intervened. "Alright guys, listen up. I've got a plan." The other five listened as the wind mamodo explained his plan. By the end of his explanation, everyone wore matching smirks.

Sapphire eyes gained a fiery glow. "It's time we show this bastard just who he's messing with."

* * *

**The term Rareiki is not owned by me. Stevethemime is the brilliant mind who came up with it. Thanks again for all your help! ^_^**

**I really hope this chapter is alright. I admit after taking such a long absence I'm worried it won't be as good as the others. I also hope that no one's out of character. If they are, I apologize and I promise I'll do better next chapter. **

**If you guys are still wondering about the chips, the reason they don't work anymore is partly because of Kai and the other's Rareiki and the fact that Necro short circuited the chip. Thanks to Rareiki which is a mamodo's inner power there was no brain damage or any lasting physical effects on the mamodo. In the end, the combined power of the Rareiki and Necro's overpowering the chip destroyed the chip. Sorry if that doesn't make sense. It made sense when I first thought of it lol**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! : )**


	26. What Friends Are For

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

**I'm so sorry guys! I promised I'd do better yet I still made you wait so long. I meant to update sooner but it took me awhile to decide what to do with this chapter. Sadly it's not as long or as exciting as the last one, but now you get to see what happened to Heihachi and the others so that's something haha These next two chapters are gonna be about the other teams looking for Haley and Kai. Then we'll got back to Haley's group : ) Despite it's lack of action, I hope you'll still enjoy the chapter X )**

**Here's chapter 26 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^**

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You guys got attacked by some weird mamodo who was after my sister and her mamodo. You defeated it, but then some other mamodo showed up and burned your book? Then those kids get knocked out and my sister tells you to run away leaving her and her partner all by themselves. Am I leaving anything out?"

Heihachi began to shrink under the older redhead's unnerving stare. "N-no that's about it."

Toshiro sighed, "Cut it out, Leon. You're freaking him out. Like you said earlier, it's not his fault. Our younger siblings just happen to be trouble magnets."

Leon leaned back into the couch he was sitting on. "I know, but it doesn't mean I can't feel pissed off about it."

Like Heihachi had promised Haley, he ran over to the red haired girl's apartment complex to look for her brother and his mamodo. As luck would have it, when he arrived, the two were walking toward their siblings' room no doubt to check on them.

Once he explained who he was and what had happened, Leon and Toshiro ran off to where their siblings were while Heihachi went inside Leon's apartment to take care of the still-unconscious Marly and Uuda. After putting the children in a nearby bedroom, the orange haired teen returned to the living room to wait for the older teens.

About an hour later, an angry Leon and an eerily silent Toshiro came back empty handed. The taller teen punched his fist into his empty palm. "Dammit! They're gone!"

Toshiro crossed his arms. "We probably only missed them by a few minutes. I could still feel Kai's energy from his spells when we got there."

Heihachi looked down to avoid the older teens' gazes. "I'm sorry it's my fault. I shouldn't have left them. I didn't want to, but Haley wanted me to get the kids to safety. Not that I would've been any use anyway."

Leon stared at the crestfallen teen and sighed, "It's not your fault. My sister was just being her stubborn heroic self like always." He sat down on the couch near the chair where Heihachi was sitting. "How about you tell us the whole story?"

Back to current time, Leon began to pace to let off some of steam. "So now what? Haley and Kai have been kidnapped, and we have no clue where the hell they might have been taken."

Toshiro watched his partner from his position on the couch for a few minutes before sighing. "I think we're gonna need back up. We should call the others."

The redhead stopped his pacing to look at his mamodo. They stared silently at each other for a few seconds before Leon finally nodded, "Alright. I'll call them." He pulled out his cell phone and walked into the kitchen.

Heihachi tilted his head in confusion. "The others?"

The black haired mamodo moved his gaze to the younger teen. "Yeah they're some friends of ours that also have mamodo. In fact, they all go to your school."

Blue eyes widened. "Oh you mean the guys Haley hangs out with? I remember her mentioning them to me earlier, but I don't remember their names."

Toshiro nodded, "Yeah that's them. Don't worry. You'll get to meet them soon. They can introduce themselves when they get here."

Leon walked back into the room and placed his cell phone back into his pocket. "Runners and the others are on their way. They should be here soon. Then we can make a plan on how to find Haley and Kai."

About half an hour passed in silence as the trio waited for the others' arrival. No one moved from their respective positions each too absorbed in their own thoughts.

A series of loud knocks on the door alerted the three teens that someone was at the door. Before anyone could answer, the door was slammed open by a panicking Katsu and a worried Derrick with their mamodo not far behind. Yamamoto and Trance, however, came in at a slower pace though by their serious expressions it was easy to tell they were worried as well.

Katsu focused his gaze on Leon. "Aniki! What's going on? What happened to Anego?"

Alice hurried over to Toshiro. "Haley and Kai-san aren't hurt are they?"

Derrick looked around the apartment. "Where are they?"

Yamamoto smiled though it was less cheerful compared to his usual smiles. "Leon-san?"

Leon held up his hands to get the younger teens to quiet down. "Alright listen up. I'm only gonna explain this once. Haley and Kai have been kidnapped by some weird mamodo and his book owner. We have no idea where they are, but they've been gone for almost two hours now."

Once he caught their attention, the redhead began explaining in detail the situation trying not to leave anything out. He also introduced Heihachi to the group, but they seemed already too far gone to register the orange haired teen's presence.

An eerie silence had filled the room once the words began to sink in the young book owners' and their partners' minds. Alice was the first to speak after the shock wore off.

Teary silver-grey eyes looked up at Leon. "H-Haley and K-Kai-san are gone?"

It was nothing more than a mere whisper, but her partner clearly heard her. Derrick quickly swept the girl into his arms and held her close.

As the silver haired child clung to her book owner, he patted her head consolingly. Brown eyes looked up and met emerald.

Leon could tell just by looking at the football player that the younger teen was obviously just as upset as his partner though instead of showing sadness his eyes were brimming with anger. He didn't need words to know Derrick would put his all into the situation at hand.

Katsu was the next to react. He swiftly turned toward the nearest wall and punched it with everything he had. "Dammit!" The black haired teen clenched his other fist tightly as he hung his head. Kira walked over to his partner and placed a hand on his leg. Fiery grey eyes met icy blue as they stared silently at each other. After a few seconds passed, Katsu finally looked away and pulled his fist from the wall.

Trance moved his gaze to look up at his book owner. Despite the other's smile, the mamodo knew something was wrong with Yamamoto. "Yamamoto?"

Black eyes blinked then moved downwards to stare into concerned emerald ones. "Huh? Oh sorry about that Trance. Guess I zoned out for a bit." He chuckled humorlessly as he ruffled the white haired child's hair. "I'm alright. Don't worry about me."

The boy frowned worriedly as he stared at his elder brother figure. He knew the older teen was lying but decided it would be better to talk about it later on when they were alone.

Heihachi bit his lip nervously as he watched the other teens react to the news Leon gave them. Blue eyes watered as he stared at the ground wringing his hands nervously. _"It's all my fault. If I was stronger, Haley and Kai wouldn't have been kidnapped. I...I could have been more help. Instead, I was just useless. I'm surprised they're not mad at me. They're probably still in shock. Once it wears off, they'll realize what I did and start blaming me. I wouldn't hold it against them if they did."_

A small yawn grabbed the orange haired teen's attention. "Heihachi?" He moved his gaze toward the bedroom where he left the kids and saw them standing there in the doorway.

Marly wore a blank expression as he studied his new surroundings as well as the unfamiliar people in the room. Uuda, who was standing close by him, rubbed one of her eyes sleepily. "What's going on? Where are Haley and Kai?"

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and focused on the two children before them. Leon face palmed. "I knew I was forgetting something."

Ever the observant one, Marly easily realized the situation. His lips tugged slightly downwards. "They're gone aren't they, Heihachi-san?" Seeing as the orange haired teen was the only one he was familiar with, the blonde only spoke with him. "Did that green haired mamodo take them?"

Katsu crossed his arms. "How come you know so much about what happened to Anego and Kai?"

Dull grey eyes stared into the older teen's fierce orbs. "I was there. Unfortunately, my partner and I were incapacitated making us unable to help Haley-san and Kai-san when we were attacked."

Toshiro stepped forward. "He's right. Like Leon said, Heihachi was the one who told us what happened. When he came here, he was carrying those two who were unconscious."

Uuda, who was now completely awake, turned to look at Heihachi. "We were unconscious? All I can remember is feeling something hit my neck when the smoke surrounded us. I must've fallen asleep after that."

White eyes widened in realization. "Wait. If Heihachi grabbed me and Marly, does that mean Haley and Kai stayed behind?" She looked up at the taller teen imploringly. "They didn't did they?"

Heihachi knelt down by the child and put a hand on her shoulder. He stared into her pleading eyes before looking away. "I'm sorry. There was nothing else I could do. I-I wanted to stay, but Haley wanted me to bring you two to safety. Those guys were after Haley and Kai, and they didn't want us to get chased if they left with us."

Uuda grew teary-eyed as she turned to Marly and latched onto him. Surprisingly, instead of pushing her away, the blonde patted her back consolingly instead as she cried. His face remained blank though there was an unidentified emotion swirling in his usually dull eyes.

Leon cleared his throat gaining everyone's attention. "Alright guys, here's the plan. I know this situation seems pretty hopeless considering there were no clues left behind to lead us to where Haley and Kai were taken, but that doesn't mean there's not a chance of finding them. I called you guys here because we need your help. What I want us to do is go to the scene of the crime and scope out the area. Toshiro and I didn't find anything when we looked earlier, but maybe with your help we'll find something we might have missed. And with this many people, we'll be able to cover a larger area. It's not much of a plan, but it's all we've got for now."

He studied the many serious faces before him. The redhead knew the answer to his question before he even asked it. "So who's in?"

* * *

About ten minutes later, the group arrived at the area where Haley and Kai had been kidnapped. It was a very old road with cracking asphalt and faded paint lines. To one side of the road was a steep, grassy hill that led up to the busier side of town. It was just high enough to block the noise and view. A cool breeze passed over the hill down to the road, causing the tall grass to sway in graceful dance-like patterns. To the other side was a small wooded area secluded from the rest of the world, well shaded and vibrant, but still bright and peaceful. On the ground not far away, a single flower stood by the road, withering with dead grass surrounding it.

The group separated with each book owner going with their respective partners. While the younger teams examined the surrounding area, Leon and Toshiro went further down the road to see if there was anything ahead.

Derrick and Alice chose to head toward the right hoping the kidnappers might have used that way as a means of escape. They knew their chances of finding any clues were slim considering Leon and Toshiro didn't find anything, but the two weren't going to give up without trying.

Since leaving Leon's apartment, Alice's mood had quickly changed. Teary silver-grey eyes were replaced with fiery, determined ones. She clenched her fists tightly as she surveyed the area. _"Don't worry, Haley, Kai-san, we'll find you. I won't rest until we do! I won't forgive those guys who took you!"_

While Alice's attitude was leaning toward a more positive direction, Derrick's was doing the exact opposite. He clenched the teeth. _"I can't believe something like this happened! I should've been there to protect them! If I had gone to school instead of worrying about my stupid injury, this wouldn't have happened! Haley and Kai are my friends. I should've been there for them when they needed me. Instead, I was at home playing games with Alice while they fought for their lives! What kind of friend am I?"_

"Derrick-kun?"

The black haired teen blinked and moved his gaze down to look at his mamodo who was staring at him worriedly. He sighed, _"Great. Now I've made Alice worried. Things just seem to keep getting worse by the minute."_

Derrick forced a smile. "Yes, Alice? What's up?"

The silver haired girl frowned at him. She stared at him thoughtfully for a few minutes before realization dawned her features. _"Derrick-kun is blaming himself for what happened to Haley and Kai-san. Even though we weren't there, he still feels responsible."_ The child looked down. _"I wish I could show him it's not his fault."_

Noticing his partner's lack of response, the taller teen knelt down and put his hands on her shoulders. "Alice, what's wrong?"

Silver-grey eyes looked up and met the other's gaze. She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. "Hey Derrick-kun, do you know what I like most about you?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Derrick took a few seconds to reply. He gave her a big grin. "My charming personality?"

She giggled, "Nope! What I like most about you, Derrick-kun, is your big heart! You always try to help people even if they might be total strangers. You're a kind person, Derrick-kun. I know I can always rely on you no matter what!"

The football player blinked surprised at the child's answer. He then ruffled her hair affectionately and smiled, "Thanks, Alice. That means a lot. The same goes for you too, you know. You're one of the sweetest and most reliable kids I've ever met."

Alice smiled as she grabbed one of Derrick's hands and held it in her much smaller ones. "You always try so hard, Derrick-kun. If a friend's in need, you'll push yourself to your limits to help them." Her eyes swelled with tears. "Even if it means you'll end up getting hurt."

Her partner stared at her speechless. He used his free hand to brush away her tears. "Alice."

The silver haired girl continued, "One other thing I've noticed is whenever something bad happens to someone you care about, you blame yourself thinking you should've done something to help."

Her grip on her book owner's hand tightened as she raised her gaze to stare into the other's eyes. "Derrick-kun, it's not your fault Haley and Kai-san were captured. You can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. So please don't blame yourself. I can't stand to see you hurting like this."

Brown eyes widened in surprise. "H-how did you know?"

Alice wore a small smile. "Silly Derrick-kun, of course I could tell! We're partners, remember?"

He stared at her in shock for a few seconds before a smile formed on his face. Derrick shook his head. _"Guess I can't hide anything from her after all." _His smile then changed to a frown. _"But how can I not blame myself? I know Alice is right. It was out of my control, but that doesn't stop me from feeling bad."_ He clenched his fists. _"Dammit! I hate this!"_

The silver haired child placed a comforting hand on one of his clenched fists. "I know you still feel guilty, but think of what Haley would say if she saw you like this. Do you think she'd want you to blame yourself?"

Derrick blinked as he unconsciously unclenched his fists. Thinking of the redhead's reaction to his behavior made him chuckle. _"No she wouldn't. In fact, if she saw me like this, she'd probably be pissed. She'd rip me a new one for blaming myself. And she'd never let me hear the end of it either."_

The girl's smile grew when she heard the other chuckle. "So please don't blame yourself. Instead, let's focus on doing what we can to save Haley and Kai-san. After all, they're counting on us, right?"

Her partner grinned as he ruffled her hair. "Right. Besides, I have a feeling they're alright. Haley and Kai can take care of themselves. It'll take a lot more than one mamodo to beat them. Thanks, Alice. I needed that."

Alice beamed, "That's what friends are for, Derrick-kun! Whenever one of us is in the need, the others will be there to lending a helping hand. So please don't think you're alone in this. We all feel bad about what happened. That's why we're all here now, so that we can help our friends that need us."

Derrick nodded, "Yeah you're right. We're all in this together." His grin grew. "You sure are smart, Alice. How'd you become so wise?"

The silver haired girl blushed, "I-I learned a lot from watching you, Derrick-kun."

He blinked surprised at her answer before smiling warmly at the child. "Thanks, Alice. Really. I couldn't ask for a better partner."

Alice continued to blush as she smiled at him. "Anytime, Derrick-kun."

Derrick winked at her. "So you ready to do some heavy duty investigating?"

She pumped her fist into the air. "Yeah!"

* * *

There was a heavy silence in the air as Katsu and Kira searched the wooded area near the road. Luckily, there were several paths due to so many runners exercising near there, so it was easier to navigate through the trees. So far they hadn't found any signs of where Haley and Kai could have been taken.

Kira studied his silently fuming partner. He could tell the other was about to lose it if things continued like this. Knowing there was no point in asking the black haired teen about it, the silver haired mamodo sighed. _"I understand why he's so angry, but Katsu needs to calm down before he lets his anger cloud his judgment. Although..."_ He stared blankly at the sky. _"At least he's able to show some sort of emotion. I on the other hand am a different matter."_

While Kira was lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice his partner staring at him. Katsu frowned. _"That's weird. I've never seen such a vacant expression on Kira's face before. Sure he thinks a lot but never enough to not take notice of his surroundings. I wonder what's up." _

Usually the grey-eyed teen tried to avoid conversations like these, but his concern for his partner overrided his pride. "Kira?"

The shorter boy blinked apparently just now realizing he had zoned out. Icy blue eyes lifted their gaze to meet his partner's. "Yes?"

Katsu scratched his head as he tried to find the right wording for his question. "Uh are you alright?" He mentally face palmed. _"Great that's the best I could come up with? Nice job, Katsu!"_

Kira stared at the other blankly for a few seconds before sighing. _"I guess if I want Katsu to tell me about how he's feeling I should do the same." _"Katsu, do you think any less of me for not reacting like most would in a situation like this?"

His partner tilted his head in confusion. "I don't understand. What do you mean, Kira?"

The silver haired child sighed again. "Are you upset that I have not shown any signs of sadness or anger over the disappearance of Haley and her mamodo?"

Katsu raised an eyebrow. He gazed at the mamodo questioningly before shrugging. "Not really. I've gotten used to you not showing your emotions. Sure I think it's kinda strange that you don't, but who am I to judge? After all, because of that you don't let your emotions get in the way and affect your judgment."

Kira blinked apparently not expecting an answer that like. The ends of his lips tugged upwards slightly. _"Of course I shouldn't be surprised. Katsu always manages to catch me off guard." _"I see. For as long as I can remember, I've always been referred to as cold hearted. I've never heard someone put my stoic behavior into words such as yours."

The black haired teen grinned, "Since when have I been like anyone else? Don't worry about what people think of you, Kira. I sure don't. You just stay true to yourself, and you'll be fine. Personally, I don't have any problem with how you act. I actually prefer it considering I find how most kids act annoying."

His mamodo nodded in understanding. For as long as he knew the older teen, Kira had never seen his book owner interact with any children other than himself. It seemed Katsu wasn't very fond of kids which left the silver haired boy wondering why the grey-eyed teen didn't seem to mind his presence like the others.

Sure it would be easy to say it was because Kira was his partner, but the shorter mamodo wasn't quite convinced that was the reason. Even before the child told Katsu about the battle to become king, the black haired teen treated him nicely well at least Katsu's version of nice meaning he wasn't rude or spiteful toward the mamodo.

Kira stared at his partner curiously. It was unusual of him to ask personal questions, but seeing as he was already doing things out of his usual character, the silver haired child figured one more question wouldn't hurt. "Katsu?"

The taller teen moved his gaze back toward his partner. "What is it?"

"Why did you agree to be my book owner?"

Katsu froze caught off guard by the random question. He thought he might have misheard, but once his grey eyes met the other's icy blue he knew hadn't. The black haired teen scratched his head as he pondered the mamodo's question. "I dunno. At first I didn't want to because the idea of teaming up with a kid I just met sounded crazy, but when I looked into your eyes, I changed my mind."

The silver haired boy tilted his head in confusion though his face remained blank. "My eyes?"

His book owner's cheeks grew red from embarrassment as he realized what he had said. Knowing there was no going back now, Katsu looked away and continued, "Yeah. When I saw your eyes, they reminded me of someone else's. Even though you were able to keep your face blank, I could still see something in your eyes."

"What did you see?"

Katsu met the other's eyes again. He held the smaller boy's gaze for a few seconds before replying. "Loneliness."

Icy blue eyes widened slightly the only sign that the mamodo was surprised. His partner continued to look at him before finally moving his gaze elsewhere. Kira studied the older teen closely. "And? Whose eyes did I remind you of?"

"Mine."

Kira blinked caught off guard by the other's answer. Realization slowly dawned his features. _"I see. I never gave much thought about it until now, but Katsu and I are very much alike. I guess that's why we get along so well. We both know what's it's like to be alone and not have anyone there to look out for you." _

The two grew quiet as they both became lost in their thoughts. Unlike before, however, the silence wasn't tense instead it was somewhat soothing for the duo.

A few minutes passed before Katsu finally broke the silence. "I've always been alone for as long as I can remember. My parents divorced when I was young, and I was forced to move from house to house to abide by their wishes. Once I was old enough to live on my own, they bought me my own apartment, so they wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. I was fine with that. I wasn't very close to my parents because they were never around, so it wasn't like it was gonna be a big change for me. About a year ago, I got involved with the White Wolves. I finally found a place where I belonged though in the end they were just using me. They didn't really care about me. All they cared was that I had money because my parents were rich. Deep down, I knew that, but I didn't want to believe it. I finally did after I met Anego." He closed his eyes tightly not wanting to show any sign of weakness. "She was the first person that actually showed concern for me. She did care. I finally realized what belonging felt like after I met her."

A chuckle made Kira look up to see a small grin form on his book owner's face. "Wait that's not right. I guess if I wanna be more accurate I should say that Anego was second. After all, I seem to recall that I already had one real friend before I met her."

The silver haired mamodo looked away embarrassed as his cheeks were tinted pink. Katsu chuckled amused to see his partner actually showing some emotion.

His chuckling died out, however, as the black haired teen remembered why they were there. He clenched his fists. "And because she's my friend, I'll do whatever I can to find Anego and make the bastard who took her pay."

Kira moved his gaze back toward his tense book owner. Icy blue eyes hardened with resolve as he reached over and put a hand on one of the other's clenched fists.

The grey-eyed teen looked down and met the boy's gaze. "We'll find them, Katsu."

It was only a few words, but that statement was more than enough for Katsu. Just by looking at the child's eyes, the older teen could tell that the mamodo was just as determined as he was to find Haley and Kai.

Hearing those words made the book owner forget about his own guilt as he started to move forward. Katsu grinned, "Yeah we will."

Kira nodded returning his gaze back toward the path in front of them. The small smile on his face did not go unnoticed by his partner.

Steely grey eyes stared ahead as he clenched his fists. _"Yeah we'll definitely find them. Then we'll make the guy who took them pay. No one messes with our friends and gets away with it!"

* * *

_

**Lik****e I said, not much action, but instead you got to learn more about some of the mamodo teams : ) You've probably already guessed but next chapter we'll get to see how Trance's and Toshiro's groups are holding up ^-^**

**I know you probably think it's strange that Katsu hasn't told Kira about his past until now considering they're partners, but like Kira, Katsu likes to keep personal stuff to himself. Those two are very reserved so they don't really talk about stuff like that very often haha This however just proves that their bonds are getting stronger ; )**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	27. Unexpected Help

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell**

***hides so that she doesn't get hit by random objects thrown by angry viewers* I'm soooo sorry! I didn't mean to take so long with this chapter! I'm sorry you guys have to put up with such a lazy author! Though technically it wasn't just because of my laziness that I didn't update. This time of the year got pretty hectic especially with me being a senior and all. Luckily, now I'm done with school, so I'll have more chances to update this story. That's right, people, I'm officially a college student! Yay for me! haha *sighs* Still, I can't believe I missed updating on my story's anniversary! It's already been a full year since I started this thing! Time sure does fly. Once again, I apologize. I know I always do this and say I'll do better but hopefully I will now that it's officially summer!**

**To Just Another Sophia: Sorry about confusing you. For some reason, I always use hair and eye colors for descriptions when I use characters X P Also, please feel free to send in an OC! I love getting new OCs : )**

**Big thanks to Windraider for helping me with Trance's scene and stevethemime for helping with the ending ^-^**

**Here's chapter 27 of A Battle To Remember! ^_^ Hopefully this one will turn out better than my last one X ) Also just in case you don't know though I have a feeling everyone does, "Oka-san" means mother in japanese.**

* * *

Heihachi and Marly walked together silently as Uuda ran ahead looking for any clues that might show where Haley and Kai had been taken. Since Heihachi was without a mamodo and Leon thought it would be better for him to search with another team, the orange haired teen decided to tag along with the youngest team seeing as he was the most familiar with the two, and he wanted to make sure the children didn't get into any trouble.

The three decided to search the right side of the road like Derrick and Alice though they had moved farther up the road. Heihachi had noticed since they had begun looking that both Marly and Uuda had become eerily silent. Silence really wasn't unusual for Marly, but for the outspoken Uuda, it was quite strange.

The black haired girl's eyes were slightly puffy from crying, and there were still some tear stains on her cheeks from where she forgot to wipe them away. Marly wouldn't make eye contact with the older teen, and there was a slight frown marring his features instead of his usual neutral look.

Heihachi sighed as he realized his predicament. _"They're blaming themselves for what happened to Haley and Kai. They probably think that if they hadn't been knocked out they could've helped Haley and Kai fight that other mamodo. But it's not their fault. They couldn't help what had happened. It was just bad luck on our part."_

Blue eyes dawned with realization. _"They're like me. I blamed myself for what happened just like them, but something changed."_

_Shortly after Leon explained his plan, both Yamamoto and Trance left claiming that they couldn't help. Surprisingly enough, Leon didn't get mad like they had expected. Instead he just told the two where they could find them if they changed their mind. It was the opposite for Derrick and Katsu, however. They couldn't believe the baseball player would just ditch Haley and Kai like that. To them, it was like Yamamoto and Trance didn't care about their missing friends at all. A few minutes later everyone began to head outside. The only ones still inside Leon's apartment were Derrick, Alice, Katsu, Kira, and Heihachi. _

"_Why aren't you angry?"_

_The four turned to face the older teen. Katsu, who still pissed about Yamamoto leaving, scowled, "What are you talking about? Of course we're angry! Someone kidnapped our friends! And that baseball bastard just abandoned us!"_

_Heihachi shrank under the other's heated glare and averted his eyes. "I-I meant, why aren't you angry at me? It's my fault this happened. If I hadn't left them…"_

_The orange haired teen jumped in surprise when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up to meet Derrick's warm brown eyes. "We're not mad at you because it wasn't your fault. Haley told you to leave, so that you could take those kids to safety. You didn't abandon her."_

_Katsu rolled his eyes. "Besides, you wouldn't have been much help anyway without a mamodo."_

_Alice, noticing Heihachi slump at the other's words, walked over to the orange haired teen and placed a hand on his leg gaining his attention. "Derrick-kun's right, Heihachi-san. There wasn't anything you could do. But you know what?" _

_When the blue-eyed teen gave her a curious look, the silver haired girl continued, "I think Haley would've been very proud of you for bringing Marly and Uuda-chan to safety. I don't think she would blame you at all for what happened. So please don't blame yourself."_

_Heihachi frowned, "But-" Before he could continue, the orange haired teen was surprisingly interrupted by Kira of all people. Icy blue eyes stared intensely at the older teen. "As long as no one else blames you, then there's no reason to blame yourself, correct? Instead of worrying about what happened in the past, put your focus into the future and what you can do to help."_

_With that, Katsu and Kira left without another word. Derrick and Alice followed shortly after but not before giving the older teen some reassuring pats and sympathetic smiles._

_Once everyone was gone, tears slowly began to stream down the blue-eyed teen's face. His body trembled as he looked down. "These people... Even though they could've blamed me for what happened, they didn't. Instead, they consoled me."_

_A small smile formed on his face. "You've got really good friends, Haley." _

_Heihachi quickly shook his head and began to wipe his face. Once he was done, the orange haired teen hurried for the door. "They're right. This is not the time to be wallowing in my own self pity. I need to focus on helping find Haley and Kai. After all, they're my friends too!"_

He clenched his fists. _"Because of their words, I was finally able to forgive myself for my weakness and move on. I may not be much help to everyone else without a mamodo, but I can at least help these two!"_

"Hey, can I talk to you two for a minute?"

The kids paused and turned to face the older teen. For the first time in awhile, Marly spoke, "What is it, Heihachi-san?" As usual, the boy's voice held a dull tone though the tone seemed somewhat different than usual almost as if the blonde was annoyed.

Uuda crossed her arms. "We don't have time to talk, Heihachi! We've gotta find Haley and Kai!"

Heihachi sighed already expecting such a response from the children. _"Oh well here goes nothing." _"I understand. Don't worry this won't take long. I just need to ask you two a question."

When they gave him looks to continue, the orange haired teen took a calming breath then asked, "You do know that none of this is your fault, right?"

As he expected, both partners froze then quickly averted their eyes. Marly was more subtle about it while Uuda was looking anywhere but at Heihachi.

The older teen sighed, _"No turning back now." _He walked over to the kids and knelt down to be at eye level with them though the two still refused to look at him. "Guys, I understand that you think this is your fault, but it's not. You couldn't help what happened. That mamodo was after Haley and Kai. He didn't care about us."

White eyes brimmed with tears. "But we should've been there! I-If we hadn't been knocked out, we could've helped them! But because of us, Haley and Kai were left by themselves and had to face that mamodo alone!"

Usually dull grey eyes bore deeply into the other's blue orbs. "Because of our weakness, Haley-san and her mamodo had to fight on their own. I know that they're strong enough to take care of themselves, but because they were worried about us, they couldn't run away in fear that something might happen to us. Now do you still think we shouldn't blame ourselves, Heihachi-san?"

Both Heihachi and Uuda blinked in surprise at the cold tone of the blonde's voice. Once he shook off the shock, the orange haired teen reached over and placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I do. After all, I don't think Haley and Kai would want you to blame yourselves for what happened. It is true things might have worked out differently if we had stayed, but there's no point in dealing with "what ifs", right?"

When the two partners remained silent, Heihachi continued, "Like I said, I understand what you're going through. For awhile, I couldn't stop blaming myself for what happened either, but after some wise words, I realized there was no point in worrying about what happened. Instead, I should focus on the future. So let's make a deal"

Marly and Uuda stared at the older teen in confusion. Uuda tilted her head. "What kind of deal?"

The taller teen smiled as he held out his hand to the two. "I promise that I'll stop blaming myself for what happened if you two do. How's that sound? Deal?"

A few seconds passed in silence as the children stared at the outstretched hand then at each other. Finally, both partners reached out and grabbed the offered hand. A large smile formed on Uuda's face while Marly's lips slightly twitched upwards. "Deal."

The blue eyed teen's smile grew. "Good."

Uuda quickly wiped away her tears and gave Heihachi a determined look. "No more feeling bad about what happened. From now on, I'm gonna put all my strength into finding Haley and Kai!" She nodded to herself. "Yeah! There's no way we won't find them!"

Before the boys could stop her, Uuda took off and began to thoroughly search the area. Marly shook his head before turning toward the older teen. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier, Heihachi-san. As a man, I should have better control of my emotions."

Heihachi sweatdropped. _"Man, how old is this kid?" _He chuckled, "Don't worry about it, Marly. It's fine. I know you didn't mean anything by it. Besides,-" The taller teen placed a hand on the blonde's head. "I think it's pretty normal for a man to get worked up now and then. After all, we're all human. Now let's go try to catch up with Uuda before she leaves us behind."

Marly deadpanned, "Too late for that."

The orange haired teen laughed as the two quickly hurried after the now energetic Uuda. _"Looks like I was able to be useful after all. I'm glad."_

* * *

"Hey Yamamoto, are you alright?"

Despite what the two had told the others, Yamamoto and Trance had in fact gone toward the area where Haley and Kai had been taken. Wanting to do this on their own, they just let everyone else believe that they didn't care about searching for their kidnapped friends when in truth the pair was just as worried as the others. They were just better at concealing their emotions.

Yamamoto moved his gaze to stare at his partner's worried emerald eyes. He automatically smiled trying to soothe the other's worry. "Of course! Why would you ask that?"

The white haired mamodo frowned as he pointed at a nearby tree. "Because we've passed that tree three times now, and you haven't said anything since we entered this forest."

His book owner blinked in surprise as he came to a stop. He studied his surroundings for a few seconds now realizing that they had in fact already searched that area before. Yamamoto scratched his head as he grinned sheepishly. "Well what do you know, I guess we have. Sorry about that, Trance. I guess I must've zoned out again."

Trance nodded already knowing the real reason for his partner's absentmindedness. Ever since they left Leon's apartment to search for their missing friends, Yamamoto had been relatively quiet lost in his own thoughts. It was obvious to the white haired mamodo that the older teen was worried about their friends.

As he continued to think about their situation, a slight shudder ran through his small form as flashbacks began to plague his mind. The shorter boy shook his head trying to clear his mind but to no use. No matter what he did, they just wouldn't go away.

"_Aren't the stars pretty, Trance?"_

_Trance, who was now much smaller around the age of 6, nodded as he lay in his mother's lap stargazing. He always loved when he got to do this with his mother. It was always so peaceful. The dark of the night concealed most of her features, but with the starlight, it was easy to see that Trance's mother was a beautiful woman. It was said he took after her in appearance while his older brother took after their father._

_A frown formed on the white haired child's face when he noticed the look of worry in his mother's eyes. "What is it, Oka-san?"_

_She smiled at the boy and slowly shook her head. "Oh it's nothing, dear. I was just thinking about your brother."_

_Trance's frown grew at the mention of his brother, Arcane. Despite being so young, the emerald-eyed child had already developed an inferiority complex toward the older boy after being compared so much with his brother. Like, how at Trance's current age, his brother was already considered a prodigy while Trance didn't have any offensive or defensive spells only spells to create things like tools. _

_Now Trance didn't actually hate his brother, he just couldn't stand always being in the other's shadow. He wanted to be recognized as Trance not Arcane's little brother. _

_Mistaking the boy's frown for worry, the woman quickly added, "Oh don't worry, Trance. Arcane should be alright. I've just been worried ever since I found out that he went to go save a nearby town by himself after he heard a rouge mamodo was attacking it. I heard the mamodo's very strong, so I'm worried about your brother's safety. Not that I don't think he can handle himself. I have full confidence in Arcane. It's just a mother can't help but be worried about her child."_

_Wanting to comfort his mother, Trance hugged her. "Don't worry, Oka-san. Nii-san's strong. He'll be fine." _

"_After all, Nii-san can do anything." He thought bitterly. _

_His mother smiled, "You're right, Trance. I'm sure Arcane will be fine."_

_Noticing his depressed expression, she also added, "Now there's no need to be jealous, Trance. One day, when you discover what true strength is, you'll be able to do just as well as your brother. Now instead of all this worrying, how about we get back to where we left off? I know how much you love to stargaze."_

_Trance nodded absently though inwardly he really wanted to go back inside to his room. After their talk, the white haired mamodo felt like he couldn't enjoy himself anymore. "No matter where I am, I can't escape your shadow. Can I, Nii-san?"_

Slowly the flashbacks began to recede back to the deeper parts of his mind causing Trance to release a sigh of relief. When Yamamoto gave him a concerned glance, the shorter boy smiled at his partner to show he was alright.

The white haired mamodo stared up at the sky watching the clouds drift aimlessly._ "My true strength. Even after all these years, I still haven't figured out what it is. I wonder…"_

Trance shook his head dismissing those thoughts. _"There's no time for that. I need to focus on looking for Haley and Kai."_ A small bitter smile formed on his face at the thought. _"It seems I'm more like you than I thought, Nii-san. Now I'm the one trying to save people. I just hope I won't end up looking like how he always did whenever he managed to finally come home."_

A memory of his brother coming home covered in blood made the emerald-eyed teen flinch. Even though it happened numerous times, the white haired mamodo never could get used to the sight. What made it worse was the way his brother would act cheerful and pretend nothing was wrong when he was clearly hurting. _"I always hated when he did that."_

Trance looked up at his partner, who was once again lost in his own thoughts, no doubt worrying about the fate of their friends. The child clenched his fists. _"I may have not been able to get Nii-san to stop his cheerful act, but I can at least get through to my own partner." _"Yamamoto?"

The other smiled, "What's up, Trance?"

"I know you don't want me to worry about you, but could you tell me what's wrong? Even if you try to hide it, I can still tell that you're upset. I understand you're worried about Haley and Kai. I am too, but you shouldn't keep your feelings all bottled up."

The white haired boy reached over and grabbed his book owner's arm. "We're partners. Whenever one of us is upset, the other is there to help them out. You've always been there for me when I needed help, so it's time I return the favor. Please let me help."

Yamamoto stared at the mamodo in surprise not expecting the other to be able read him so easily. Finally, after a few seconds of silence, a small smile formed on his face. It wasn't forced like the previous ones though there was a hint of sadness to it. "Guess you saw through my act huh?"

His partner frowned, "Yamamoto."

The raven haired teen knelt down and ruffled the other's hair. "Thanks, Trance. You're a good friend. I don't know what I'd do without you. Before you came, I wasn't used to having many friends, so I usually just kept my emotions to myself. Instead, I'd always just smile like nothing was wrong."

He sighed, "I guess that's why I'm having such a hard time keeping my emotions in check now. Since I'm not used to having friends, the idea of Haley-sempai and Kai being in danger kinda has me rattled. We may not know each other very well, but I feel like I can trust them. They're good people, so I hate that this happened to them."

Trance patted the other's shoulder consolingly. "I understand. Don't worry, Yamamoto, we'll get them back. Like you said, they're our friends, so we're not gonna stop until we find them. They'll be alright. Remember, Haley and Kai are a strong team. It'll take a lot to beat those two."

His book owner chuckled, "You're right. I don't see Haley and Kai going down without a fight." A real smile formed on the taller teen's face. "So there's no reason I should be feeling so down like this. Just because they've been captured doesn't mean there's no chance of helping them. We'll definitely find them. Thanks, Trance. I needed that."

Trance grinned as he gave Yamamoto a thumbs-up. "No problem, partner."

* * *

While the younger teams searched near the area Haley and Kai disappeared, Leon and Toshiro had moved ahead wanting to search the areas they hadn't investigated yet. They had just finished examining the right side of the road before turning toward the wooded area on the left.

Both had been relatively silent as they searched. Each worried about their younger siblings' safety. Unlike the rest of the group, the two weren't having any issues with blaming themselves. Instead, the older teens would switch between being worried about their siblings and being angry at the mamodo who took them.

Leon cracked his knuckles. "Just wait until I get my hands on that bastard."

"You and me both, partner."

In usual cases when Leon was being his overprotective self, Toshiro would tease his book owner, but seeing as his brother was also in danger, he wasn't in a very joking mood.

After another ten minutes of fruitless searching, Leon punched a nearby tree in an attempt to vent out some of his anger. "Dammit! How can there be no sign of where they were taken? Nobody's that good! Everyone always messes up!"

Toshiro leaned against another tree and crossed his arms. "I guess not this time." His grip tightened on his arms as his cerulean eyes darkened. "Whoever took them is smarter than we thought. He's not the usual run of the mill mamodo."

Emerald eyes narrowed. "I don't care who the hell the bastard is! I just wanna find him, kick his ass, and take back my sister!"

His partner raised an eyebrow. "And you think I don't?"

Leon blinked before sighing. He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that. You know how I can get sometimes. I'm just worried."

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "I know." The shorter teen pulled away from the tree and moved toward his partner. "So you ready for some more searching?"

The redhead nodded, "Yeah let's go." Leon moved forward but froze when he felt his phone vibrate from inside his pocket. Despite knowing there was no way it was from who he hoped it was, the older teen quickly pulled out his phone to see he had a message.

Emerald eyes widened at the name of the message's sender.

The black haired mamodo gave his partner a confused look. "What's wrong?" When he didn't get a response, Toshiro moved so that he could look at the other's phone. When he noticed who the message was from, his eyes also grew large.

On the phone's screen were two words. "**From:** **Haley."**

Without anymore delay, Leon quickly flipped open his phone to look at the message. To their disappointment and confusion, it wasn't an actual worded message. Instead, it was a series of numbers and letters.

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "What the hell?" He quickly tried to call his sister but discovered that the phone was off. "I don't understand. Why instead of calling us would Haley send us a weird message full of numbers and letters that don't spell anything?"

Toshiro studied the numbered message. "Maybe this wasn't from Haley." At his book owner's pointed look, he continued, "Maybe someone else got a hold of her phone and sent this to us for some reason."

"But why?"

The shorter mamodo shrugged, "Don't ask me. My brother's the genius not me."

* * *

Shortly after Necro had left his hideout to recapture his test subjects, the mysterious swordsman quietly snuck into the building and found the room where the green haired mamodo kept all of the captured book owners' belongings.

Once the black haired mamodo obtained the items, he quickly made his way toward the exit. The brown-eyed teen gave the computer room a passing glance. He knew from the bug he planted that he needn't bother with it since the whole system was already destroyed, but the mysterious swordsman stealthily entered the room anyway.

Dark brown eyes observed his surroundings intently before finally finding what he was interested in. Not far away from the ruined computer system stood a small metal filing cabinet. The young mamodo made his way over to the cabinet and opened it. He swiftly perused through the many papers before finding what he wanted.

Three of the files were the ones that were about Haley, Josh, Lee, and their respective mamodo while others were of mamodo Necro had yet to look into. The black haired teen slowly pulled out the folders and stashed them inside his kimono before heading for the door.

A few seconds later the silent thief quickly exited the building managing to avoid all of the security cameras just like when he entered. There was no trace of his visit left behind almost like a ghost. The two scientists would be none the wiser.

After departing from the secret hideout, the mysterious swordsman headed back toward the area he had last seen Haley and the others knowing Necro wouldn't be far. Once he found an area suitable to his liking, the black haired mamodo placed the green backpack he had been carrying onto the ground and then pulled out a red cell phone.

When he flipped open the phone, the brown-eyed mamodo looked at the background picture of Haley, who was smiling and giving a peace sign with an arm around her partner's shoulders, and Kai, who looked like he didn't even want to be in the picture though there was a slight smile on his face. The young teen stared at the screen briefly before typing a message and sending it.

Once the message was sent, he turned off Haley's cell phone and dropped it into the green backpack which had a tag on the top of it with Lee's name and address written across it no doubt to show that it belonged to him. Inside the bag were the cell phones of the other two book owners as well as a few school items of Lee's. The black haired book owner must have been kidnapped on his way home from school.

The mysterious swordsman leaned back against the large tree behind him. _"Everything's now in motion. All that's left is to deal with the pawn." _

He crossed his arms. _"Though if the knights continue to progress as they've been doing, they might be able to take care of him by themselves, and my aid won't be needed. I guess I'll have to wait and see to find out. "_

* * *

Not long after they received the mysterious message, Leon had called the others, and they all met up to discuss their ideas about the weird text.

Derrick stared at the strange series of numbers. "I don't get it. What's it mean?"

Leon scowled, "Beats the hell out of me. We've been trying to figure that out since we got it."

Alice's eyes sparkled with hope. "Will this help us find Haley and Kai-san?"

Toshiro shrugged, "It's possible though we'd have to find out what it means first."

Katsu raked a hand through his hair. "It looks familiar, but I can't seem to place from where." He looked down. "I've failed you, Anego!"

Kira shook his head at his partner's antics as he too tried to understand the meaning of the strange message. Uuda turned to Marly who had a thoughtful expression. "Do you know what it means, Marly?

The blonde shook his head. "Like Katsu-san, I can't seem to remember why the number pattern seems familiar. I know I've seen something like it before."

Heihachi, who hadn't gotten a chance to look at the message yet, peered over Leon's shoulder. Blue eyes widened. "That's!" He grabbed the phone from the shocked redhead's hands. "No way!"

The rest of the group watched with mixed expressions of surprise and curiosity as the orange haired teen pulled out a small blue booklet from his pocket and began to flip through it. After a few seconds of anxious silence, Heihachi stopped flipping through the pages and began to study one page in particular.

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is he-" The grey-eyed teen was unable to finish as he was interrupted by a loud "I got it!" from Heihachi.

A large grin formed on the blue-eyed teen's face. "I know what these numbers mean."

The others blinked as the teen's words slowly sunk in. Eyes widened. "You do?"

Heihachi never lost his grin. "Yep. These are coordinates. And not just any coordinates. I bet they'll lead us straight to where Haley and Kai were taken."

Alice smiled broadly. "Really?"

Leon grinned, "You know where they are?"

The orange haired teen nodded, "Yes. According to these coordinates, we'll find Haley and Kai at Mt. Rausu."

"Ehhh?"

The group aside from Kira and Marly exclaimed each wearing a surprised expression. Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "A mountain? They were taken to a freaking mountain?"

Heihachi shrugged his shoulders. "That's what this message says. To be more specific, it's near the base of the mountain. So don't worry, there shouldn't be too much climbing involved."

Derrick sweatdropped. _"He sure is taking this pretty calmly."_

Uuda beamed, "You're so cool, Heihachi! How'd you know how to read those numbers? We didn't even know they were coordinates!"

The blue-eyed teen looked away shyly. "Well you see, ever since I could remember I've always wanted to become a pilot like my dad. So I began studying everything I could about flying at a young age. For some reason, I had a knack for reading coordinates, so it wasn't hard to learn about them."

Marly nodded in understanding as he moved his gaze toward the blue book still in the other's hand. "And that book?"

Heihachi blinked then raised his arm so that the book was closer to his face. "Oh this? My dad gave it to me. It helps me figure out what the area for the coordinates is when I can't tell by just looking at it."

Katsu gave the orange haired teen an incredulous look. "And you just happened to have it in your pocket?"

The older teen blushed, "I-I always have it on hand. I like to look at it a lot when I don't have anything else to do. It's very precious to me."

Not wanting the others to ask more about Heihachi's past and accidentally bring up his father's death, Marly tried to change the direction of the conversation. "So? How exactly are we going to get to Mt. Rausu? It's not exactly close by."

Derrick nodded, "He's right. It's at least two hours away, right?"

Katsu crossed his arms. "So? Who cares? We've got to go find Anego and Kai!"

Leon sighed, "We will, but first we're going to need a plan and some means of transportation."

Alice frowned, "It's too bad Yamamoto-san and Trance-kun aren't here. We could use his father's truck."

Katsu scowled, "Like we need help from them."

Toshiro studied all of the tired but eager faces of their friends then nudged his partner. "How about we all go home and get some sleep first? We won't do Haley or Kai any good if we're too worn out to fight."

Uuda bit back a yawn. "I-I'm not tired!"

Marly shook his head. "Please do not worry about us. We'll be fine. Haley-san and Kai-san are more important."

Alice nodded vigorously. "Right! We can't stop now!"

Leon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, emerald eyes reopened. "As much as I want to go ahead and look for them, I know better than to go charging forward recklessly. Alright here's the plan. Everyone go home, pack whatever you're gonna need for the trip, and get some sleep. We'll meet at my house first thing in the morning. Leave our means of transportation to me."

The rest of the group bit back their complaints knowing it was no use. The redhead had made his decision, and there was no way to change his mind.

Reluctantly, the group headed back toward Leon's apartment. Once they were gone, two familiar figures appeared from out of their hiding place.

Yamamoto was wearing a large smile. It seemed the news of now knowing where Haley and Kai were had cheered him up considerably. "Looks like we're going on a field trip, Trance."

Trance grinned his cheerfulness also returning. "Sounds like fun."

The two shared a look before they too headed for home. By the determined lights in their eyes, it was easy to tell that the two were on a mission, and they wouldn't stop until their friends were found.

* * *

By 7:00 AM the next day, everyone was prepared and ready for the journey to Mt. Rausu. The group consisting of Derrick, Alice, Katsu, and Kira met up on their way to Leon's apartment. None of the four were able to get much sleep due to their excitement about looking for their missing friends, but the lack of sleep didn't show. Each had a fiery light of determination in their eyes. The group finally arrived at Leon's apartment to see the redhead, Toshiro, Heihachi, Marly, and Uuda already outside waiting for them.

Since it had been so late, Leon told Heihachi and the kids that they could just stay at Haley's apartment since he had an extra key. They were reluctant at first, but they finally agreed seeing as it was their best option. Heihachi quickly called his mom to tell her that he would be staying at a friend's house and that he should be home tomorrow afternoon.

What really shocked Derrick, Katsu, and their mamodo was the sight of a familiar dark green truck parked in front of Leon's apartment. The grey-eyed teen scowled, "What the hell is that bastard's truck doing here?"

Derrick covered Alice's ears. "Watch your language around Alice, Katsu." He then frowned, "Though I admit I'm also curious about why it's here."

Leon shrugged, "Not quite sure myself. When we woke up, it was just sitting here with the keys in the ignition. There was a note on the dashboard from Yamamoto's dad saying we could use his truck for the day. He also apologized about Yamamoto's absence. He said his son had to work today, so he couldn't go."

Katsu's face turned red from anger. "Work, my ass! That traitorous bastard obviously is just avoiding us! He probably sent us this truck to make him feel less guilty!"

Derrick shook his head and removed his hands from Alice's ears. "I just don't get it, Leon-san. Why's he doing this?"

Leon scratched his head. "That Yamamoto kid is a weird one. I can't really understand his motives myself though I have a feeling there's more to him than he's letting on. Don't worry about him now. Instead, let's just be grateful we have this truck to use. Otherwise, I would've had to borrow my friend's minivan"

Everyone sweatdropped at the mention of riding in a minivan. _"I don't even want to know."_

The redhead dangled the keys in front of them. "Alright two up front with me, and the rest get in the back. Let's move out!"

Eventually the group decided on letting Heihachi and Toshiro ride up front with Leon since Heihachi knew the most about where they were going, and Toshiro figured it would be best to sit with his partner.

"Are we there yet?"

Marly, who had somehow managed to obtain a strand of wheat to chew on, moved his gaze to his partner. "We've haven't even been on the road for an hour, Uuda."

The black haired girl pouted, "But I'm bored! Let's play a game!"

Alice's face brightened. "What kind of game?"

Katsu rolled his eyes. "How about the silent game?"

A small smirk formed on Kira's lips at his partner's sarcasm. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave the hot tempered teen in the back of the truck with all of the children.

Derrick grinned, "Now, now, Katsu-chan, no need to be grouchy. There's nothing wrong with a little fun now and then."

The grey-eyed teen scowled, "Don't call me that, you bastard!"

Uuda opened her mouth about to suggest a game to the other girl when suddenly the truck came to a stop jostling the passengers in the back. Katsu was the first to sit up. "What the hell?"

Alice grabbed her head dizzily. "What's going on?"

Marly adjusted his newsboy cap. "Did something happen, Leon-san?"

"I guess you could say that. There are two guys in the middle of the road!"

Everyone leaned over the sides of the truck to get a better view. Like the redhead had said, there were in fact two people on the road. One was a brown haired man in his late twenties while the other was a red haired child.

The taller of the two grinned, "Alright listen up. Everybody get out of the car, and nobody gets hurt!"

Katsu's eyes widened. "What the hell are those guys doing here?"

The two strangers were none other than Komaru and Hogoro, the mamodo team Katsu and Kira had fought in the botanical garden. Kira's eyes narrowed in recognition. "It seems we ran into those two sooner than I expected."

Both Komaru and Hogoro stared at the group in shock as they too recognized the team they had previously fought. The brown haired man pointed a finger at Katsu. "It's you! I can't believe we ran into you of all people here. I guess now's the perfect time to get my revenge for what you did to me back at the garden!"

Derrick cocked his head. "Friends of yours?"

Katsu scowled, "Hardly. We met these guys on a class field trip and fought them. Of course we won, but I decided to spare their book since the guy was injured, and I didn't wanna have to take care of him."

Alice smiled, "That was so nice of you, Katsu-san!"

The grey-eyed teen's scowl grew. "I wasn't trying to nice! I just didn't feel like burning their book!" He jumped out of the truck bed with Kira right behind him. "Hey if you two don't want me to burn your book, you better back off! I seem to recall making you swear your allegiance to Anego."

Komaru crossed his arms. "And as I recall, I was unconscious when this supposed deal was made."

Hogoro stuck his tongue out. "So the deal's null and void!"

Icy blue eyes stared at the two coolly. "It seems you two are more stupid than I thought."

The brown haired man scowled, "What was that?"

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "Kira?"

Kira moved to stand in front of his book owner. "You haven't noticed have you? You're outnumbered. We're not the only mamodo teams here."

Both Komaru and Hogoro paled as they moved their gazes to check out the rest of the passengers in the vehicle. Leon was glaring at them while holding his sky blue book in plain view. Derrick grinned cheekily as he waved the powder blue book in his right hand. Marly stared dully at the newcomers while keeping a tight grip on the peach book under his left arm.

Uuda blew a raspberry at them. "Not so tough now, huh?"

Alice frowned, "I'd rather avoid any meaningless battles, so do you think you could let us pass?"

Toshiro smirked, "What's it gonna be? Fight or back off? Choose wisely, guys."

Hogoro took an involuntary step backwards. "K-Komaru? What do we do?"

Sweat trickled down the older man's face as he thought about their predicament. A few seconds later, a cocky grin formed on the brown haired book owner's face. "Fine. We'll let them go for now, Hogoro. We could easily take them all out by ourselves, but we'll be generous and let them go."

His partner also grinned his previous nervousness gone. "Right!"

Katsu shook his head already used to their personalities while those in the truck sweatdropped. The grey-eyed teen sighed, "So what are you guys doing here anyway?"

Hogoro puffed up his chest proudly. "We were training!"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Training?"

Komaru placed a hand on his mamodo's shoulder and smirked, "That's right! Don't think we're the same as last time, kid. We're much stronger!"

Katsu just rolled his eyes while Alice cocked her head to the side in confusion. "You were training in the middle of the road?"

Hogoro frowned, "Of course not! We were just on our way back from the nearby forest. We're on the road because our car got a flat."

His book owner slapped him on the back of the head. "Idiot! Don't tell them that!"

Toshiro smirked, "Looks like you two are in quite the predicament."

Heihachi, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, finally spoke up. "What should we do, Leon-san?"

Katsu quickly made his way back to the vehicle with Kira following behind him. "Easy. We leave them. We have more important things to do right, Aniki?"

Alice's eyes widened. "We can't just leave them here!"

The grey-eyed shrugged, "Sure we can. It's not like they're our friends. What happens to them shouldn't concern us."

Marly crossed his arms. "We are a little taxed on time."

Uuda frowned, "But Marly! Who knows how long it'll take them to get to the nearest town!"

Derrick sighed, "That's true, but what about Haley and Kai? They're counting on us!"

Katsu scowled, "Exactly! Anego needs us, so we don't have time to deal with these idiots!"

Komaru reached toward them. "Wait wait wait a minute! We could be useful to you!"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Hogoro nodded vigorously. "Y-yeah!"

His book owner crossed his arms. "You said you were on your way to help this Haley girl, correct? By the sounds of it, she and that other guy are in trouble, so there's a good chance they could be injured when you do find them, right?"

Everyone's faces darkened at the thought of their friends being hurt. Surprisingly, it was Marly who answered him. "There is a possibility."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "So? What's your point?"

Komaru's cocky grin returned. "Well you see my partner, Hogoro, here has an awesome arrangement of spells. It so happens one of his newest spells is a healing spell."

Alice's eyes widened. "You mean?"

Hogoro grinned, "Yep! My spell can heal anybody! No matter what the injury!"

The brown haired man nodded, "So it would probably be in your best interest to bring us along."

Katsu face palmed. "You have got to be kidding me."

Heihachi looked back and forth between Leon and Komaru who were having a stare down. "Well it would be nice to have someone who could heal Haley and Kai if we do find them injured."

Derrick scratched his head. "Yeah but how do we know if they'll actually help? We hardly know them. They could be lying about having a healing spell just to get us to help them."

Hogoro frowned, "We're not lying!"

Komaru smirked, "Why would we lie when we're clearly outnumbered? Let's make a deal. We heal your friends, and in return, you take us to the nearest town. Sounds easy enough, right? "

Uuda turned to her partner. "What do you think, Marly?"

The blonde sighed, "It seems like the best solution is to take them up on their offer. I doubt they'll try to pull anything with this many mamodo around."

Leon gripped the steering wheel tightly as he glared at the older book owner. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, he slumped back into his seat. "Fine. Get in."

Katsu's eyes widened. "What? Aniki, you can't be serious!"

The redhead gave the grey-eyed teen an annoyed look. "Of course I am. Besides, what if we do find Haley and Kai injured? What if they need serious medical treatment? I hate to think like that, but I have to be realistic."

Katsu stared at the older teen for a few seconds before sighing. "I understand." He turned toward Komaru and his mamodo with a glare. "You two pull anything funny and you'll have to answer to me, understand?"

Komaru mock saluted. "No problem. You won't have any problem with us. After all, we just wanna get home."

Hogoro smiled, "Right!"

Reluctantly, the group let the newcomers join their party, and the two quickly got into the bed of the truck. Soon after, the vehicle resumed its drive toward their destination. The group would soon realize how lucky they were to cross paths with Komaru and his mamodo when they finally reunite with their missing friends.

* * *

**I managed to end a chapter without a cliffhanger, impressive haha Though I bet that last sentence has you guys wondering X ) Alright now the rescue team's on the way with two unexpected tagalongs. I wonder what's in store for them when they reach their destination. Ok so now that that's taken care of we can go back to Haley's group. You know what that means, right? Yes, the highly awaited battle against Necro! I know you've been waiting on it for sometime : )**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And thanks to all of my loyal reviewers, you guys are the best! I can't believe I almost have 150 reviews I'm so excited! XD **


End file.
